As a four year Rosary veteran, I am of the opinion that I hold some of the sacred secrets to a successful (and fun) high school experience. Also, my dad put me in a very nostalgic mood last week and I listened to the song “Letter to Me” by Brad Paisley several times which only exacerbated the problem.

It got me thinking about what I would include in a letter from current Elena to freshman Elena. I’ve learned a lot in my time here from freshman registration to involvement in sports, but here’s just a few things I would write.

1. Don’t take classes for the sake of the weighted credit.

One of my biggest regrets in high school is the period of time when I convinced myself I wanted to be a software engineer. I took classes that didn’t interest me or make me happy. I was unmotivated, confused, and while I refused to let my grades fall, that was time wasted that could’ve been spent pursuing something I’m actually interested in.

2. If you get injured, take a break

Taking a day off is one of the hardest things for me. Sophomore year, when I developed a hip injury during cross country, my refusal to stop left me barely capable of walking. At the time I chalked this attitude up to not disappointing my coach, but I have to take responsibility for my inability to speak up for myself. Taking a break from running taught me to find happiness outside of athletics and showed me that being strong does not mean pushing myself beyond a safe boundary.

3. Be friends with people you who make you happy to be unique

Is this a cliché? Yes. However, I am living proof that it’s a lesson some people have not learned. For the last three years, I put too much into relationships that left me unfulfilled. One of the most humiliating feelings is putting unequal amounts of effort into a friendship because when that inevitably ends, you’re the one hurting. Now, I’m proud to say the love between my friends and me is based on an active desire to make the other person happy.

If I could go on forever, I would. A lot has happened since I first walked onto this campus in 2018, and if I could break down every hard decision or crossroad I’ve encountered, this would be a much longer article. That being said, I’d like to end with a quote from the song that inspired me to write this: “I’ll end by saying have no fear. These are no where near the best years of your life.”