Dear High School Girls

Over the weekend, circumstances brought me back to a high school. As a sophomore in college, it's been a while since I've been sitting on a set of gym bleachers, surrounded by high school students anxious to celebrate homecoming. One thing that really stuck out to me was the cliques of high school girls around me, and how I was in their place only a few years ago. It really got me thinking about how I wish someone had given me some advice while I was still there, so that's what I'm going to do now for you girls.

Stop getting yourself involved in "drama." It's petty, it isn't worth it, and it honestly amounts to nothing in the end.  When you graduate, are you even going to remember the reason why you stopped talking to your best friend for a week? Sure, you'll probably learn to laugh about it down the road, but there's no use in getting yourself worked up about something stupid.

Which brings me to my second point: boys. You don't have to try so hard to "impress" a guy that you like, and if you do, he's not someone that you want to be with. If you do have a boyfriend, make sure that you don't devote 100% of your time to him and only him. You're going to find that if you do that, you're going to lose valuable friendships along the way. You'll go through your fair share of heartbreak, but what you don't realize now is that you have a whole lifetime ahead of you to worry about relationships and finding someone that you want to be with. Chances are, you'll find him in the most unsuspecting place. For now, worry about finding yourself.

High school is one of the biggest opportunities to find out who you really are. If you want to join a club or take up a hobby that other people think is lame, do it anyways! The only thing that matters is if you are happy, not about "following the crowd." Be your own person and make your own happiness.

These four years are such a small portion of your life compared to what is to come. If you're going to college, you're going to discover that there's a whole world out there that you have yet to discover. Everything will work itself out, even if it doesn't seem like it. I promise that you will find happiness in the oddest of places. Right now, focus on your friendships and doing well in your classes. Forget the negative and do what you want to do, because in the end, it makes all the difference.