Advice from an Alumnae

Dear Class of 2020,

As I rapidly approached my last days at La Salle, I spent an abundance of time reflecting on my past four years at La Salle. Not too long ago I was just like you, walking in to my first day excited for a new beginning and a new adventure. It is easy to have myriad expectations about what high school will bring. Maybe you expect to be on certain sports teams, get a certain amount of homework, a certain GPA, and you have a very specific list of activities that you are going to participate in. You might even think that you know exactly who will be your friends. One of the first lessons you will learn is that your expectations are often wrong. As hard as we may try, no one can predict the future. High school is not a time to conform but the time where you will discover who you are and what drives you. So as you begin this wild four year journey, here are the top ten things that I wish I knew before I started here at La Salle.

Do not be afraid to try something new for once. Who knows, you may love it.

Be kind to everyone. There is no use wasting your energy on hatred.

The fights you have with your friends will not ruin things unless you let them. Forgive. Otherwise, you might miss out on some pretty amazing people.

Get to know as many people as possible. Otherwise, you will find yourself wishing that you had become friends with certain people in your grade one month before graduation and you will regret never trying before.

Take classes that you love. You will be a lot more successful exploring things that you are passionate about than just trying to take as many APs as possible.

Mental health is more important than your grades. Take the time to rest and do things that make you happy. We all need a break sometimes.

Spend time with your friends and family as often as possible before it is too late.

DON’T PROCRASTINATE! You may think that you can handle the pressure, but the delay will only result in you being more stressed right before the deadline.

Don’t let your fears keep you from seizing amazing the many amazing opportunities that will come your way.

Know that you are not supposed to know exactly who you are right now. So don’t resist change, it’s necessary sometimes. You will figure it out one day soon.

I wish you all of you the best of luck here at the Academy. This is a great place full of great people so please make sure to make the best of it. High school really does fly by so make sure that you make the time you have here count.

Sincerely,

Samantha Kennedy

Class of 2016