A letter from March 4th, 2021

Dear FutureMe, Hi Shannon. Today is Dad's birthday and we are rolling up on the anniversary of the pandemic which has ****** a lot of people. I'm really thankful that I've managed to make the best of this year and that personally, I haven't had to suffer from a loss of a loved one from Covid. Still, I pretty much lost all of my senior year "fun" (drinking at bars and partying), but I doubt I would've enjoyed it anyway. I've been accepted into the PhD programs for chemistry at CWR, UC-Davis, and University of Rochester, and I'm leaning towards Rochester because the people there seem so nice. A*** doesn't seem excited about the possibility of moving to New York, which is hard for me. But I'm just glad he's considering it. He is probably the best thing to come out of all of 2020. I remember writing you sometime last year and I think I included some soppy stuff about Luke, so it's nice to include something nice about A***. You are currently writing this email because you are avoiding finishing a lab report that is due in 3 hours and you were working on it in the first place because there aren't any grad students in the lab right now and you are not permitted to do science on your own (fair enough). I hope in 5 years you are working on your PhD somewhere (maybe you'll be finished, but I doubt it). I often think about the girl I was 5 years ago, how she was unsure, intimated, and lost. If she could see me now I really do think she'd be proud, I'm proud of me. I graduate college in two months. Wherever you are future-Shannon, know that I'm proud of you too. Even if you change your mind a hundred times or quit grad school or break hearts or whatever. Keep doing your best and I know we'll be okay. -Shannon (21 years old)