A letter from May 19th, 2022

Dear FutureMe, Today is May 12. Right now, as I am writing this, I am 14 years old and in the 8th grade at WEB Dubois Academy. My 8th graduation is on May 24th at Churchill downs. Before this school year ends, I think it’s important to write this letter because I am gonna look back at this in the next four years. When I think about things that are going on in the world right now, I think about slavery back then in the day because of the police brutality happening because they are treating blacks unfairly because the color of our skin. I spend most of my time in the gym because I want to be the best of the best when it comes to basketball. I’m closest to my mother, brothers, sisters, Nana, GG, Grandpa, and the rest of my family because they all provide and do so much for me and I love them the most for that. High school has been on my mind a lot lately because I’m just ready for the next chapter in my life. High school is a huge part of my life because this is my next step in life. Right now, it’s important to me that I keep focus and don’t ever give up because it’s gonna be tough because high school is gonna determine where I’m gonna be in life in the next few years. One thing I am really great at is getting good grades and basketball. I am proud because education can take you a long way in life. I could probably do better with my testing scores. I could do better in this area by making sure I study before all of my tests. It’s important because in the future I’m gonna have to take a test and if I score poorly I’m going to be in trouble for basketball and will not be eligible to play. When I look back on my time in middle school, I don’t want to forget when I started my 6th Grade year because I was fresh out of elementary school and I thought it was going to be the same but it wasn’t. It is special to me because I came into 6th Grade childish and broke all the rules and stayed in trouble. I remember when my 6h grade year my basketball team went to state for the very first time ever. It was great, it was very fun and competitive and I hope to go back in high school. Memories like these are important to me because it was my first ever time going to state in middle school. These experiences have impacted me by giving me a chance to play and feel how it is to play. When I look back on this school year, I would describe it as my last year at Dubois and in middle school because it’s my last year in both and in my opinion middle school was decent but now I’m going into a new chapter to high school. I have grown because in the beginning of middle school my behavior was terrible and now I have changed since because I have grown up since then. One PRIDE value that has been present for me throughout this year is Perseverance. I have shown perseverance because this year has been tough but I still got through it by working hard everyday. This pride value is important because even when it gets tough remember to never give up. When I think about the four years that are ahead of me before I graduate high school, I want to finish middle school with a 4.0. I want to finish out middle school strong on a good note. Someday I want to become a professional basketball player because that has always been one of my dreams because I have been playing since I was 4. I want to be a Great person helping others by owning my own things because I will be a successful person if I do what I stated above. If I could give future me advice right now it would be to never give up on yourself even when it gets hard because my mother tells me all the time that it’s going to get even harder. Keep pushing through because it’s going to keep getting harder. I know it’s important to succeed for myself, but it’s also important to succeed for good grades and behavior because they both can take you a long way in life and you need your education. Albert Einstein said, “Life is like riding a bicycle to keep up with your balance you must keep moving” because if you keep moving you will get a long way.