What do you want your December 2023 self to know?
Dear future Cate,
I hope you’re doing well! You’re now at the end of your semester; I’m writing this letter to you on September 14th 2023. At this moment in time, I’ve started the semester and things have started up – I started a google calendar and I’m hoping that you keep up with the academic and productive drive that I’m building right now. I hope you keep going to the gym, even in the cold, because it’s so good for your mental health – and I also hope you start journaling what you’ve learnt because it’s hard to journal everyday. I hope you keep continuing your self love journey and pouring into yourself because without that, I find that you lose your stability and the pillars that make everything else in your life work because mindset is so important.
When you read this, I hope you have tried to find time to schedule in your academics, extracurriculars, work, career fun, social and personal life – I feel as though finding a balance between all this will be hard because there are so many things that some fall behind when you prioritize others. I hope you stay on top of things but I don’t want you to put too much pressure on yourself. I hope you had fun outings with friends and that you set aside time to do things you love!
This academic year, you decided that you would immerse yourself in the community more and take part in so much more, despite how busy it could make you. You are an RA and you still will be by the time you read this, you still are in the job and I hope your duties went well and that you were able to balance the job with fun and that your residents get along and are respectful. You also were in a play in October which I hope you learnt a lot from; I hope you had a lot of fun, made new friends, overcame some stage fright and learnt how to balance a big extracurricular activity.
I think as sophomore year continues, your potential career plans and summer 2024 internships will become more important to you – you’re competitive and want the best for yourself, I know you. Ask for help and stay curious! But also don’t compare yourself to people, try your best and invest in yourself because that will do you good at the end of the day. I hope you applied for internships that you would be excited to pursue a field in and that you went to the Gordon career center and asked for advice on every little thing you had a question on. At the end of this, I hope you can call a few more people mentors and trust that they can help you navigate through a new area of your life that is your career.
I think if you pour in your time and energy into this course, you’re going to learn so much – there is a reason you chose this course; I hope you still have your spark and excitement for your future career! I hope you had eye-opening discussions and experiences with people in different fields, especially fields you are passionate about and interested in pursuing (currently marketing and creative aspects within business). I hope you are able to find projects that allow you to create constantly and challenge yourself to design and integrate business because from what I know, that is truly what you love and what you always come back to. I hope you become more confident in your skills that you work hard in honing and you learn how to present yourself professionally.
I want you to feel solid in your major/s and/or minor/s and realize you can use Wesleyan’s resources to your advantage and there is something for you at this school – don’t stop exploring.
Love,
Cate (September 14th 2023)
