Audrey Turley

University of Colorado Boulder

Advertising and Media Design

Dear middle school Audrey,

It’s senior year of high school and you have somehow managed to embarrass me all the way up to this point. But cringey Instagram stories and singing videos aside, I would like to thank you. Now don’t let this get to your head, you are still insufferable, but I wouldn’t be where I am today without you. I know you are going through an objectively rough time right now, so here are some things that may seem terrible in the moment, but actually helped me in the long run:

Let me explain. Do you remember that time in seventh grade when you decided to sit with the “popular” girls at lunch? What about how you felt when they started laughing when you sat down and told you that you couldn’t eat with them? It hurt, didn’t it. But what did you do? You sat with them the rest of the week. You thought that if you wore preppy enough clothes and changed your personality enough, by Friday you could convince them of how awesome you really are. That obviously didn’t work, and eventually they started using their Vera Bradley lunch bags as placeholders to tell you the seat was off limits. This stung, but believe me, it was a blessing in disguise. Sitting with these girls was literally self sabotage and they did you a favor. You realize you didn’t even enjoy sitting with them. In fact, it was torture to sit there the entirety of the lunch and act like the whispers and glares coming from each direction weren’t about you. 

Letting a group of middle school girls control your confidence is never the way to go. They are probably insecure themselves. Your worth isn’t defined by how many Ivivva headbands you have, your snap streaks or if you have boobs yet. It’s made up of the things that make you special; your talents and your character.

Hang out with people that you don’t have to prove yourself to and who appreciate you for you. Pay attention to who you’re around when you feel your best. It won’t matter in 20 years whether you were popular in middle school, so stop trying so hard. I promise you, it gets better.

Love,

Senior Audrey

(P.S. The time you freestyle danced to “God’s Plan” on your Instagram story was just downright unforgivable.)