Yo, Me In High School; Here's a Letter For You

A few days ago, I was looking at my old Facebook statuses at work. I then realized how annoying I was, and felt bad for people who I interacted with at that time. So, I've decided to write a letter to myself to give myself the knowledge about things I wish I knew then. Maybe that would have made me less annoying....
Dear Natalie,
Welcome to high school. It's going to change your life, and some of the people you're close to now won't be there for you. And who am I? How do I know this? Well, this is the you from the future. Try 2015, where you'll have a car, 3 jobs and so many classes that you'll constantly feel overwelmed to the point where you don't know where to begin. But, before I tell you what you'll have to look foreword to, let me tell you a few things about life, kid. Cause you have a lot to learn about.
 
Me in May 2009. 
High school isn't as hectic as it looks. Sure, there are people who you want to be like, and there's the crowd of people who you want to fit in with. However, the person that you should aspire to be is yourself. Some of your peers are gothic, but that's not you. You're also not preppy, either. You're just you, if that makes sense. Embrace the elements that make you, you. Embrace the fact that you enjoy classic rock, and rap music. Embrace your quirks, even though people make fun of you for it. Yes, it can be easy for you to conform. However, later in life you'll appreciate the qualities of what makes you, well weird. For you, that will be your love for Ozzy Osbourne, and love for writing just to name a few. Do you, kid. No one else.
One of the struggles you'll encounter is struggling with your weight. In the course of one year, you'll drop 20 pounds. (Actually a little over.) Although you do it healthily, it quickly becomes an obsession. You need to be skinny, and when you binge, you binge hard. I can tell you that it's not the way that dieting and weight loss should work. Yes, it's a lifestyle choice, and you did things healthy. But you became obsessed with weight, and even judged those you were friends with by their weight. Soon, you won't be able to keep it up, and gain the majority of it back. What you learn through this, is that it's important to be healthy, no matter what size you end up being.
 
Senior photo, 2011.
Another issue that will come up during your high school years is relationships. You're going to be single for most of your high school career. You will have the cutesy relationships that last for like a day, but that's not going to count. You'll meet a red-haired boy who you think won't hurt you. You fall for him and think that he's the one for you at 15. (Okay, if you actually do read this, know that the boyfriend you have now won't be the guy you date forever.)Turns out, he does. The thing is, it's going to hurt a lot. It's your first real relationship, after all. But you learn a lot about relationships in the end. Sure you could have handled it better. Actually yeah you could have, because I'm literally embarrassed to even talk about it now. But you eventually learn that love is something that takes time, effort and patience. At 21, you don't have a boyfriend, but you've accomplished so much. I guess the take home message is that you should read books more than you chase after boys. At least you'll learn something through the books. Know that love is something that isn't a competition. When it's right it will come to you. And also, don't spam your partner and give him space when he needs it.
Here's some advice from the cooler version of yourself. Don't be afraid to be a nerd. Whether it's about music, books or just being passionate about something, it's what makes you unique. Don't stop writing. In the middle of high school, you'll begin to write a blog that becomes your diary. Four years later, you'll be paid to write. You're good at writing, but you'll become even better at it as time goes on. Your little blog will reach over 30,000 views. Read a lot, and don't forget to feed your mind. The library is a good place for you to be.

Verenized and I, sophomore year. 
 
Theresa and I, junior year.  
 
Griffin and I, the day I graduated. 
 
Griffin, Gabriel and I; graduation party 2012.
Furthermore, you'll meet some good friends. Some you'll still be in touch with, others you have lost touch with. Just remember that they are good, and remember to treat them well. You do cool things, like play badminton and join band. (Where you meet one of the people who you're closest too!)
Well, you should be going back to trolling everyone on Facebook. (Get off, seriously. Do something better with your life.) I'll see you in 2015.
Sincerely,
Natalie

What Gets Me Through

As a college student, it seems like everything begins to come at you all at once. I'm talking about all of the responsibilities you may have. You have to go to class because that's where your future will be. You have to prepare for classes (ie study for exams, write papers, do homework, etc) because it's what you need to do to pass. You have to work, because let's face it we all need money. And for some of us, we also have internships, second jobs in case you don't make enough at the first one, and other things we need to take care of. And of course, there's this thing called sleep and have a social life. And they say college is the most free time one would have.
However through the hustle and bustle that is college, there's something that motivates me. For those of you who know, I am majoring in journalism. This past semester was one of my roughest ones, because I had too much going around in all directions. Whether it was being an editor of my college newspaper, having too much going on in classes and of course working at the library I literally felt like I was a chicken running around with no head. What got me through that was therapy and of course getting a break to go to Los Angeles. However, something else did too.
And that is? My passion for journalism.
The nutty thing about all of this is even though I wrote pretty much 24/7, I still enjoyed doing it. I loved every interview, because I got the chance to learn more about the school I went to. Through out it all, it made me a better writer. I've learned so much about the field I chose to do in. I've learned how to quote better and how to become a better reporter.
This summer, I'm excited about two (possibly three) more experiences that I'll have. The first is getting the wonderful opportunity to write for my hometown newspaper. The second is getting to be a Style Guru for College Fashionista. The final, maybe thing, is doing some interviewing for my friend's mom's college community. I'm excited about these opportunities, because it will not only give me experience it will give me a chance to go and do what I love.
You see, the reason why I am so passionate about journalism is simply the fact I get to tell other people's stories. Every interview I've done over the past year was to tell a story of someone else's. I've interviewed countless students for their commentaries, a college campus pastor (my favorite person to date whose story I've written) and that's only just naming a few. I get to learn about their worlds, what makes them happy and why they do what they do. To me, there's no greater joy in that because then you get to get the chance to make a difference.
Even as an opinions editor, I got the chance to do just that. Instead of interviewing people, I took what really mattered to me to make my stories better. Even though I lacked experience, the one thing I was also willing to do was learn. And I did. I learned how to use InDesign and how to balance writing multiple articles in about a week's time. Through my classes, my writing is more sharper and I've learned how to master a lead. I've even tried my hand in feature writing, which is no easy task let me tell you.
I'm proud of my past accomplishments, and I'm proud to call myself a journalist. There's nothing I would rather do other than to sit and interview people. And of course, go home to write an awesome lead and nutgraf. Being passionate about something is important, because after all, there's nothing worse than being stuck at a job you hate for the rest of your life. Even though it might be tough, I still want to be the best journalist I can be. And what gets me through? My passion for the field, as well as the fact I'm truly passionate to do something I truly love.

What I Learned This Semester

This semester was one of the hardest I've ever had. For the first time well ever, I was extremely overwhelmed to the point where I felt like I couldn't get out of the crumbling weight of everything I had to do. As a result, I had to drop a class and went to therapy. I felt like I had no reason to be overwhelmed when others I knew had three jobs and six classes. Who was I to complain with four classes and two jobs?

For a while I was depressed and really stressed to put it simply. All I did was write and do school related things. I never had time for fun.

Then, I went to L.A. and started my therapy sessions. And something changed. I decided to do things for me to make me happy. I often felt like I was surrounded with people who simply weren't happy. They constantly complained about everything and wanted to be the center of attention. In L.A., I made friends that actually cared more about how awful their life is and people who had goals in life. They were ambitious and actually made the changes. I think the trip really opened my eyes about happiness and eliminating those who who didn't actually care about me. Or people that I felt really weren't worth my time. Yes, it may sound rude. However, there's something about who you surround yourself with. They begin to rub off on you and make you feel awful about yourself.

I also learned how much I love writing. Between the constant papers and articles, one would think I would decide to crack and quit. However, it made me realize how much I really loved writing, because although the list of things to do felt over whelming, I actually enjoyed what I was doing. With every interview and every article, I noticed I was getting better. Better at writing, better at interviews and a better journalist. If you love something, you want to enhance your skills. In a way, this semester taught me that everyone needs improvement. I can't wait until the second half of my journalism major starts, because then I would get even better. 

Furthermore, there's some other things I've learned this semester. I've learned to never take pictures in New York. I learned how to write a better lead. I learned what shows to watch once you've finished watching a show on Netflix. And lastly, I learned everything happens for a reason. 

So, internship time?