A letter from Oct 20, 2025

Dear FutureMe, Since my first day at the College of Charleston, I feel as if I have exponentially grown in character, in self-dependence, in social skills, in my emotional intelligence, and essentially every way you can grow. I remember getting dropped off and the second my parents stepped out of the room I felt an overwhelming sense of uncertainty, inadequacy, and honestly fearful. That foreign and uncomfortable feeling ended up going away quickly and not being as bad as I imagined it to be prior to experiencing it. I thought my biggest challenge was going to be away from family for the first time in my life and to be honest I consider that my biggest challenge even though it hasn’t felt like a challenge. Through taking academically challenging classes and programs in high school there was no doubt in my mind that I was competent in my academic abilities. The part that was most uncertain to me that I did not know if I would excel in is my social skills. I knew I had acceptable social skills, but I always considered myself to be an introvert until recently. Thats where my roommate guided me and became a positive influence on me, he is an extremely social person and even though I wasn’t at the time I found myself acting confident even when I wasn’t. I twisted the concept of “fake it till you make it” to intentionally act like the person you want to become and eventually you will be that person. I am now significantly more aligned with that person I envision myself to be at that moment and who I have been putting a “persona” for. “If you can always do what you can do, you will never be more than you are” (Master Oogway, I believe). As I have evolved into the person I know I can become, I have become comfortable here and lost that feeling of uncertainty. Honestly I see that as a negative rather than a positive, the uncertainty creates discomfort to me and that's when I am at my best. Theres no growth in comfort and if I am seeking to become the best version of myself then he will not live consistently in comfort. I’ve been trying new things such as getting into running for the first time at the start of this semester and I just signed up to do my first half-marathon. I have also joined the surf club, intentionality club, real estate club, yoga club, younglife, CHAT club, become a part of a running club outside of the school but in Charleston and looking to join the spanish club as well as the school running club. From the outside perspective I have done plenty and am on a good track, however from an inside perspective I feel like I haven’t done enough and have so much room for improvement. Feels like I’m just scratching the surface. I’ve made plenty of class friends and have had a phenomenal relationship with my roommate, I consider him easily one of my best friends at this moment in time. There’s always room for growth in relationships and social skills which I will continue to strive for. Finding a good group of like-minded guys is probably the thing I have not found yet and has not worked out well for me, that will come in time I’m positive of. I can improve every area of my life, however if I had to choose one to improve right now it would be my grades, they are not bad by any means however I feel as if I should have straight A’s. I have found an optimal way to manage my mental/emotional health and stress levels by finding times throughout the week that allow me to reflect and be at peace. Such as yoga once a week, going on walks to clear my mind if need be, runs if I ever feel stressed, journaling and meditation essentially every morning to begin my days with clarity and direction, along with reading my bible daily before bed. Mental health will never be a problem in my life. I’m not saying I will never feel sad, I’m human I will experience every emotion but nobody has to let it affect their daily productivity. Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus”. I don’t seek to feel happy, I seek to know Jesus which I am providing with a peace beyond my understanding. As I firmly know and believe in that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”. I plan to continue in the path that I am on and seek to improve every area of my life until I become the best version of myself. I’m going to continue to find things that push me past my limits and force me to grow. I truly believe that I am in the right place at the perfect time, in line with His will. I have many goals for the rest of the semester but one of them is to find a solid group of guys that will push me to grow and are solid genuine people. I think that I’m doing the right things in order to find that group but at the same time I know I could be more socially available, I could create more time for hanging out with new people but I would like to continue building my current relationships and more importantly myself along with my brand. This life is meant to live with people and I trust that God will put those people into my life when the time is right and what I need to do in this season especially is develop my character, which feels like I’m on track. I would also like to finish this semester with straight A’s, that is going to take a lot of work I know and getting 7 A’s in a semester is no easy feat. I feel like its the easiest to do now though because not all 7 classes are extremely difficult, but the easy ones still take time away from what I could be putting into other things or classes which makes it difficult and I need to find that right balance to get everything done in the way I want it to be done. I also have a goal of becoming fluent in Spanish by the end of 2026, and plan to go abroad next year to help accomplish that goal. With that being said I think I need to have Spanish class as a priority in my mind, it's definitely not easy to learn a new language. I will continue reflecting on what is working well and what is not and in areas that I can improve even though they may be working sufficiently. Sufficiency is not the goal, excellence is. Overall, life has been going smoothly these past few months and coming into college was a big change but has worked out for the better no doubt in my mind. I know why I’m here and what I’m here to accomplish and will accomplish everything and more.