Dear Underclassmen,

You have no idea how jealous I am of you. You still have time left at Regina. You have no clue just how lucky you are to be continuing your journey here.

As a senior, I am going to have to face a lot of changing in the coming months. I have grappled with my impending adulthood for a few months now, and all I can think about is how lucky I am that I was able to spend my teenage years growing and leaning here.

It may sound repetitive, but Regina is truly a unique place. We take it for granted most of the time, but there is no other place where we can just be us. We are so fortunate to have his safe place to do that. I couldn’t imagine being the gawky freshman that I was and having to be around boys all the time.

So many girls across the country have to face societal pressures that we have been protected from at Regina—pressures to be the prettiest girl in the grade, pressures to like a certain type of music or band, pressures to dress or act a certain way. Not us. We are allowed to think, like, and want in what ever way we choose. Nobody cares if you are in love with One Direction and write your name with “Styles” at the end just to see how it flowed. Or, in my case, no one cares if you are obsessed with the Royal Family! We are all able to grow and be the women we want to be.

We aren’t scared to take an AP class or shout an answer out in math class even if we might be wrong. We are allowed to think outside of the box. We are allowed to take risks, and try new things, and learn from our mistakes. We are allowed to explore our interests and find something we are passionate about, whether it be art, science, music, or service.

We are able to come to school everyday feeling safe and loved. By your senior year, you will have forged unbreakable bonds with your classmates, and these will be the hardest to say goodbye to. In reality, you might not go to college with all of your best friends. At some point, you won’t be able to see them every single day. You won’t be able to lounge in the library or senior lounge having conversations about anything (really, ANYTHING) that comes to mind. Don’t take advantage of these relationships—they will mean so much more to you when you’ll have to let them go.

You get to be best friends with your teachers. Next to all of your friends, they are one of the biggest support systems you’ll ever have. Because our school is so small, all of the teachers know and care about you. They are all of your cheerleaders. When you’re in college, professors don’t really know who you are. It makes learning so much easier when you know your teacher always has your back. They also offer a wealth of advice for you. You have no clue how much I am going to miss my weekly stress conversations with Mrs. Cassidy. Whether it’s not knowing what I want to do with my life after college, or my mini crisis of the week (that I often realize isn’t really a crisis) Mrs. Cassidy is ready to hear it.

I know that I have gone on a rant. I just cannot put into words how lucky you are, and how lucky I have been, to go here. Your four years here will fly, and I know you won’t want to leave your friends or your teachers.

Leaving this safety zone is going to be the hardest thing I’ll ever have to do. I hope that you will take time to slow down and enjoy the rest of the time you have here. Keep the school spirit alive, learn every word to the loyalty song, dress up like a man, BE WHO YOU ARE!!! Find yourself while you’re here, you have a great opportunity and environment to do so. Make the best out of these next years!!

Sincerely,
Kathryn Cressy