A letter from May 28, 2025

Letter to the Future Me. Hi, my name is Yousif Adnan-Bondugjie, I am 14 years old, Muslim, and from San Diego. I live in a 3 story condo and I have a pretty big room. My neighborhood is pretty big since I live in Millenia where there are lots of condos and apartments. Some of my favorite places to go are the football field, gym or the movie theater. My hopes for the future is that I can have a successful career in football, or become an engineer. I fear losing my parents and any loved ones. Some things I enjoy are working out, playing football, playing video games, and Star Wars. I love Star Wars and Iron Man. Something I like about myself is my dedication and commitment. I feel like if I get interested in something I stay consistent to it and dont stop until i'm finished. For example, I’ve started going to the gym to help me get better at football during 7th grade, and i've been pretty consistent as I go 6 days a week. Something that bothers me is lazy people or people who lie about dumb things. Also bad weather bothers me because it makes the day unenjoyable. My 2 years at Eastlake Middle were pretty enjoyable. I never attended any school events, but I've had many great teachers, like Ms Meredith, Ms Glaser, and Mr Stubbs. A challenge I faced was peer pressure. In 7th and beginning of 8th grade I was trying to fit in and made lots of bad choices, and didn't get good grades. I overcame this by realizing fitting in doesn't matter and to be myself, and that getting good grades is important. I used a growth mindset during middle school by learning from my mistakes and trying to improve always. During summer vacation, I am going to go to a resort in mexico with my family and also big bear. In the future, I would like to make it pro in football or become an engineer. My dream college I would want to attend is USC because it is a prestigious school and they have good football there. I would like to get married young, hopefully right out of college. Some advice I would have for myself for my freshman year is to stay true to myself and not try to fit in with others. Sincerely, Yousif Adnan-Bondugjie