Elizabeth
If i knew then what I know now, I would tell myself to be more open to new experiences and 'not sweat the small stuff'. There are more people at school who feel the same as me, and we can help each other through the tougher times.
Tesmond
Do not procrastinate.
Ashley
To my high school self, college is an amazing opportunity for you to grow as an individual and learn the knowledge and skills needed to fulfill your dream. While in college you will embark on understanding your field of study along with truly understanding what you really want in life. Your friends and instructors are your dearest mentors who only want the best for your life and know that you will accomplish everything that you set your mind too. Understand that in order to reach your goals and dreams in your life, requires your dedication and self-learning, with these skills lying within you, everything will work out for your greater good. While for now college may be scary to take on, know that you have the ability to successfully finish your education to help make a difference in the world in the future. My last advice to you would be to always follow your heart, for it has gotten you this far in life and it is not about to fail you now, as you journey to discover your talent, skills and who you were really meant to be.
Khao Shoua
College life is hard and continue on this path until you reach your goals, no matter how far away it seems. It will be the first time you are away from home, family and friends. Do not take this time for granted though. It is a time to get to know yourself and find new friends that may last a lifetime. Enjoy your time now and work hard towards your goal. It is not easy but it will be worth it in the end. The skills and education you learn now will benefit you greatly in the future. You may not see it now but what you do now will greatly impact everything in your life. Focus on school and no so much on all the distractions. There will be time for that later on. What you put in right now will give your greater returns in your career and personal life.
Aubrey
If I could go back in time and talk to myself as a high school senior I would tell myself to be more confident. In high school I was very studious, was a varsity athlete, but I doubted myself a lot and I missed out on a lot of great opportunities. I wish I would have been more involved with school activities. Also, I was pretty self conscious of myself. An example was that I loved art but I was often ridiculed by others. They made me feel small and it led me to give up on art for a while. I wish I would have stood up for myself more in my past and put those negative words aside. A conversation with myself on being more confident would have saved an immense amount of pain. Today I am very confident in myself, I would loved to have given myself the advice to be more confident however, I truly believe it made me so much stronger as an individual and I would not be the man I am today with out that hardship in my past.
Juan
Anything that you put your mind to is possible. There are no barriers to stand in your way as long as you put your effort into it and know that you are wanting to better yourself and at the same time help others later on with the education acquired. Pursue your goals and don't give up. Stay perseverant in what you believe is the right thing to do so that you accomplish you task. When you are half way there remember that the glass is half full and not half empty. So that you don't get discouraged about your goal being to far from you because when you finally reach that goal you will know that all your efforts towards it was for a reason and that reason was to accomplish what you set out to accomplish.
Shayla
College is expensive. Simple as that. College is a really big investment so be prepared. At times, the money is what will stress you out the most and the schooling will be the easy part. Going home will not be something that can always happen because it is just so expensive to fly to Hawai'i during the holidays. Apply for the FASFA as early as possible and get as much scholarships as you can, because taking out an $18,000 loan should not be an option. Enjoy this experience because it truly is something that really helps you grow as a person and makes your family extremely proud that you're here.
Erica
In my first year of high school I thought I knew what I wanted going to go into once I graduated. However, that changed much more than I had anticipated. I went from wanting to be a forensic scientist, to having an interest in dentistry, then a curiosity in interior design. During my senior year, with the graduation date coming faster than I was expecting, I began second guessing what I wanted to have as a career. This brought on so much confusion and stress before entering college. The advice I would give myself would be to not worry so much. If you don’t know what you want to do, there's no need to cause yourself trouble over it. College is a place for you to find yourself and experience your life outside of the hallways and repetitive curriculum of high school. It is your place to explore and to discover. In realizing this, you can find your true self. If you follow your intuition, then old interests may reappear or entirely new ones could rise. In my case, prior interests reemerged and I now aspire to have a dentistry career with design on the side.
Jessianne
Have faith in yourself. You are cabable of more than you can possibly conceive now, but you need to learn to trust in yourself. Try to enjoy the small moments, because it is all going to fly by and you'll wonder where the time went while you were so focused on preparing for the next step. Enjoy those in between stages and embrace the unexpected. Everything is going to work out, so stop stressing about things out of your control and enjoy the time you have with the people you meet. Above all, believe in yourself and what you can accomplish. Also, do not eat fruit in coolers at parties, you'll see what I mean when you get there.
Brittany
Make the best out of yourself during High School, because it counts more then you could ever imagine. Hard work in High school makes for a smoother, easier, and less stressful transfer to college. College is a huge reality check and causes many tears of frustration and disappointment. Things are much harder once you get to college. The teachers do not hold your hand through every hard obstacle that you face and you are completely responsible for everything you do at that point. If you mess up, you not only have to re-take those classes, but you have to pay for that mess up still, without a redo button that gives you a second chance. That second chance is going to be pricey and will take lots of hard work. You have devote yourself completely to your education and realize it's time to put on your big girl panties and step up and be a responsible adult and make something of yourself! Make yourself become a relaible and professional adult that can contribute to society in a positive way and make a good salary at the same. Enjoy your time in college; you don't get many chances.