A Letter to My Future Self
Dear Ethan,
I hope your journey at Longwood has been one to remember. I hope you have made everlasting connections with teachers and students all around campus; connections that will push you into whatever future career you decide to pursue. You were nervous about going into this “uncharted territory” and apprehensive about being away from family. I could not imagine a life outside of high school, without lacrosse and all my home town friends that you have known ever since you were a kid. Speaking of lacrosse, I heard there is a club team at Longwood that your roommates have been talking about. Troy and Caleb have never played before so I hope we can all become better and learn from each other. I hope you’ve pursued the club team and have traveled all over the United States playing great teams and staying in shape. The free food at the dining hall on campus definitely has not helped you very much.
I also hope you have achieved the degree you have been striving for ever since you were a kid. Remember the times Lolo would always talk about you getting that college degree he was never able to achieve? I hope you have remembered that and it motivates you. I hope you have sticked with “Longwood/Hampton Sydney Young Life” and continuing to grow in my faith. As you know, when you started at Longwood, your faith was such a big part of your life and I hope you have continued to find like-minded people who help you to heighten your connection with God. Even though we have been here for not even 2 weeks yet, I hope you have gotten involved in the communities around campus like greek life. When I first came to Longwood, I remember being introduced to Drew, who is an executive for Alpha Sigma Pi here at Longwood. You have practically met all the brothers at this point.
I anticipate that you will get involved in all the interesting things that this community and campus provide and you have made the most out of your time here. See you in 4 years.
Sincerely,
Your Past Self
Ethan,
I enjoyed reading about your wishes for your future self. You seem to be aspirational and confident in yourself and where you will be. Being a freshman in college is definitely not for the weak, it takes a lot of time to get used to. You will ultimately wind up exactly where you want to be. I also struggle with being away from my family and hometown friends, but with time, you realize that they are always there for you and your connections are stronger than you think.
I hope you continue to pursue lacrosse, seeing as it has played such a huge role in your life so far. How long have you been playing for? Do you wish to continue to pursue this after college? In reference to the dinning hall, Longwood definitely sets their students up for failure in the ‘staying in shape’ aspect. I also hope you pursue your faith with God, it seems like you are very religiously motivated. You could possibly find clubs on campus that resinate with this.
You mentioned how you wish to pursue a degree and ultimately a career, I am wondering what exactly you want to study and what you want to do with your future in that aspect. Do you plan to take any post-grad education or find a job immediately after you graduate? It is extremely difficult to know exactly where you’re going to end up in life, but having dreams and beliefs can get you to the point you might be thinking of. Speaking of which, your hope of entering Greek life sounds very interesting as well.
It was interesting to hear about your thoughts on your future and what you are thinking of accomplishing during your time at Longwood. I am confident you will get to de everything you wish to do, especially considering your mind is already open to all of the possibilities. I appreciate your comments towards getting to know people, considering I resonate with that a lot. Making friends is the epitome of every relationship in life. Having connections to people will get you into a lot more things. Again, I enjoyed reading your letter and I hope everything works out the way you want it to.
Sincerely,
Abby Vance