Dear Archbishop Carroll students,

You are approaching this moment. High school may seem like it takes forever, but by the time you are in my position, it will feel like it flew by. Savor the memories you make. Those long nights  hanging out with your friends, those quiet lonely nights where you feel like the world is gonna end. All of them factor into what you leave behind and what you bring with you to your next step. You may not have the friends you made here forever, maybe you didn’t even have any friends, but this will always be where you went to high school.

Don’t worry so much about who others think you are or what they want you to be. Find the people that make you feel like home can be anywhere, and roll with them. Popularity is overrated. The lives of the “cool kids” probably aren’t going to get much better. Put yourself in uncomfortable situations. Go to that party. Ask your crush out. Most importantly, have a ton of fun. High school will be whatever you make it out to be. 

Obviously, focus on your school work. However, don’t be the tryhard. Colleges don’t care if you got a 98 in your classes. The real world doesn’t care how well you did in high school. Don’t waste time and energy on a Saturday night trying to get a 100 on a test. BE A KID. Go have fun. Be the person people want to get to know. If nobody wants to have fun with you, go make your own fun. Everyone craves approval so badly nowadays that they can’t ever feel satisfaction from being themselves. Stop worrying about what is going to happen if you mess up. Remember, you can’t ever be old and wise if you are never young and reckless.

Deuces,

Chris Tomlinson