Interested in hearing perspectives from upperclassmen on their freshman years? Here on our Klesis Blog, we’ll be featuring some of our juniors and seniors, where they write letters to their freshman year selves.

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To Vivian:

Hey dude. So you’ve made it into your dream school and finished high school as valedictorian? I’m going to break it to you that so has everyone else at this school. When you walk into Chem 1A and Math 1A this week, I’m begging you to realize early on that it’s going to be a tough ride. Cal is nothing like the competition you experienced in high school, and oftentimes, it can feel brutal and really, really sad. There are going to be a lot of hard weeks this semester, a lot of struggling with the voice in your head that tells you there’s no reason to keep trying anymore, and a lot of humbling yourself to realize that you can’t redeem yourself with your academic skills.

With this realization, I’m so excited for you to finally see that there’s so much more to your life than doing well in school, pleasing mom, and proving to your high school friends that you’re happy and successful. You’re going to experience a wealth of relationships that you’ve never experienced before — people that know the worst of you, yet still love you. People that really want to give it their all to love you because this amazing person named Jesus loved them first. This semester, you’re going to investigate and find purpose for your life for the first time. Ask ALL the questions!! You will receive answers, even if you don’t think so yet! Have fun, it’s gonna be a wild one dude.

Vivian

Dear Freshman Me - Vivian T.