The Previous Owner of Locker 383

Dear new owner of Locker 383,

Welcome to high school. I’m assuming you’re a freshman, which means you have four glorious years at this school ahead of you. Good luck.

Four years ago, I stood in this very spot, looking at the inside of my locker for the first time, praying that I wouldn’t get lost and look like a total loser. But you have to understand one thing: It really doesn’t matter what people think about you. I know those sound like empty words right now, as you’re starting a new chapter in your life that will be filled with new friends and new opportunities to make or break your social life. But take it from a veteran: When you graduate, no one is going to care about who you were in high school. No one, apart from yourself. Remember that you’re going to look back on these four years for the rest of your life – so don’t let anyone else stop you from living it the way you want.

Take hard classes. Challenge yourself. Don’t sell yourself short. Enjoy, respect, and appreciate everything you have. You don’t want to fill these four years with regrets. If you want to try something new – do it! Never let the fear of striking out keep you from playing the game. Cheesy, but completely true. You’re only young once. But you only have one life to live.

Have fun. Take risks. Be a teenager. But don’t ruin your life just because everyone else is. Don’t forget that you are going to have a life after high school – and you have to live with whatever you do here. So it’s up to you to create your legacy – and it’s up to you to decide whether it’s going to be something you’re proud of – or something you’re not.

For a few years, the only thing I thought about was what I didn’t have. How I didn’t have a boyfriend, or friends, or anything that made me stand out from the crowd. It wasn’t until my senior year that I realized it isn’t about what you don’t have. It’s about what you do. So I’m passing my newfound knowledge down to you. Try to appreciate everything you have – all of your opportunities; all of the roads you can take to get to a bright, successful, happy future. Appreciate your friends and the memories you make together. Because when high school is over – sure, you have this pretty piece of paper that tells you that you’ve completed high school. But the things that really stick with you are the memories.

Over time, that’s all they’ll be – memories. So make good ones. Make memories that you can look back on and laugh and smile about.

High school seems like a really scary place , and it’s perfectly normal to be nervous about it. But don’t waste your time worrying about what everyone else thinks. They’re too busy worrying about themselves.

Four years might feel like a really long time – but you have to enjoy every second of it. Before you know it, you’ll be standing on that stage receiving your high school diploma, and you’ll wonder where all of that time went.

Welcome to high school.

Sincerely,
The previous owner of Locker 383