The time has come, seniors . . . the time to read letters our 14 year old selves wrote to us in 2021.

What felt like 30 minutes was actually four years ago, and now I get to read what my freshman self wanted out of high school. We wrote these letters as an early freshman English assignment.

I wrote about the classic stuff: what major I wanted to pursue (journalism), what college I hoped to go to (hey, a girl can dream), who my friends were (still there for me), and how I was doing in school (still on course).

Reading this letter now has opened my eyes to one thing: how much can change in a (relatively) short period of time.

Originally, I wanted to go to college in EUROPE or New York City and pursue a career in journalism. I’m now going to a college 40 minutes away from my house and studying criminology (but, in a way, I kind of did pursue a short career in journalism. #ECHOmagic).

Besides some of the lost family members (of the human and furry friend variety) most of the constants in my life like friendships and grades remained the same💪💪.

Some things have changed though—like getting a new sister-in-law and nephew 🥳🥳

Fellow senior Tessica Ho and friend since fourth grade (shoutout Mrs. Turner) said that her letter was on the more boring side of things: “I was very conscious as a freshman, so everything I wrote was very general and subjective to 2021. Like Among Us.”

As for future Vet Tech Camryn Thomas, she said that her letter made her kind of sad, seeing who she was friends with all those years ago. But on a lighter note, she said that it provided her with a feeling of hope, a “light at the end of the tunnel” type feeling.

For future Duquesne student (go Dukes) Bella Costa, she said (as most of the fellow seniors have) that her letter was about her old friends, and that it’s weird to see how much she has changed😛.

As we wrap up rediscovering these letters, it’s fun to see how much we’ve grown and how much we've stayed the same🤓🤓. We all set out with big dreams and ideas and the experiences and the lessons we’ve learned have shaped us more than we think.