Dear Future Students,
From a person who is living in limbo, learn to not wait for moments to come to you. It may feel like all of your life is spent waiting for just a few special times: graduations, proms, weddings, parties, whatever. Hopefully by the time the next generation is in high school/college, the covid-19 outbreak is long gone. As a student who is living through it, please don’t take anything for granted. I hated waking up for class too, but now I just wake up to stay inside. All day. Sure it was fun at first, but it’s quickly lost its appeal. Now more than ever I’m realizing that nothing in life is guaranteed, and I just hope you realize that before it’s too late, which is why I’m writing this now. Don’t wait for your graduation or prom to make memories with your best friends. You never know when you could see someone you love for the last time, so please try and realize that any petty arguments you may be having won’t matter in the long run. Have all those cute “indie coming-of-age movie moments” whenever you can. Dance in the rain and hug your friends every chance you get. Never take your health or your ability to go to school for granted. The world is changing and getting weirder and more complicated every single day, and you might be dealing with something far more intense than me. Maybe your COVID-19 outbreak is an alien invasion, or world war. The point is, I have no way of knowing what challenges you’re facing or what you’re going through, but we can always count on one thing that will never change: nothing in life is permanent or guaranteed. If you can, take a moment every day to appreciate something small, like a rainstorm or a flower or a funny joke. It’s those little reminders that life is worth living that you’ll cling to when it starts to feel like the world has nothing good to offer. Truly, live every moment on earth you have. We only have so much time together, and that is such a cliché statement that no one takes seriously, which is why my generation is at such a loss right now. You have the chance to succeed where we failed. I pray that whoever is reading this will have a long, full, healthy, life.
With love,
Annie Gibson
UNC Chapel Hill Class of 2023