To My Freshman Self,

Aug. 16, 2021. 1,361 days ago. Your first day of high school.

Mom drove you through the clanky black gates. As you got out of the car, she said the same, “Have a good first day of school” that you had heard for the past 10 years. Despite the familiar phrase, I know you felt different. Alone. All of your best friends were going to a different school. On top of that, a 10-minute commute turned into 45. It was as if a hurricane swept away everything you once knew, leaving behind only freshman fears.

Freshman physics. The non-stop word problems were a nightmare for you, and seating charts emerged as your worst enemy. You were assigned to a table with five girls, and you didn’t know any of them. Your shy and quiet self refused to say a word as your hands trembled at the sight of unknown and new people. The following day, a lab was assigned, and you finally spoke, and you even laughed. Little did you know that these five people, who created a group chat called “Asian Sensations,” would stick with you throughout all of high school.

Skipping ahead to sophomore year; You discovered your passion for chemistry and art, which is what you’ll be studying in college! You explored both of these while suffering from an inexplicable amount of pain on the court, and you soon realized your hopes of playing college basketball were shattered. As a result, you first picked up the camera to outsmart time, trying desperately to cling to the past or jump to the future, hoping to skip the present entirely. Ever since your discovery of a camera, you’ve also had a knack for experimentation and chemistry labs, often combining the two together. That’s when you fully understood the true meaning of the phrase: “When one door closes, another opens.”

The infamous junior year. You always heard myths about it. They were true. Thirty-eight college tours. Signing up for the SATs. All honors and AP classes. Learning to drive. Constant migraines due to stress. Extreme focus on extracurriculars. Four hours of sleep every night. Despite all this, you chose to go to Costa Rica with Pinewood as the only junior during spring break when everyone else around you advised against it. Sometimes, you have to tune out all the noise around you to maintain your sense of self and experience the extraordinary.

Flashing forward to senior night. You’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time. After two surgeries, seven ankle sprains, a torn plantar fascia, and too many sprained fingers to count, it’s your night, and you’re alongside your four fellow seniors.

The stands are completely packed, and it’s the fourth quarter. When you see the ball swish through the net, the crowd erupts for you, and a huge smile appears across your face. You should’ve heard the entire school chanting “Yang Bang.” It was more than you could’ve pictured in your head. It meant everything.

After the game, you gave your senior speech to the team, expressing your gratitude for everyone who made your time at Pinewood so transformative. You would be proud to know that you are far from alone, unlike day one. Although it’s not over yet, in your heart, you know that this special chapter at Pinewood is nearly ending.

In just 21 days, you’ll be driving out of those green and gold gates, onto the next chapter and away from the cozy and comfortable confines of what you now call home.

As you reflect on these past four years, your goal for the future is to live your life in the present more often, lip sync like Beyoncé whenever given the opportunity, and take it all in.

Love,

My Senior Self