Get it together, girl!

Dear Freshman Fenna,

The next four years are going to be quite the rollercoaster (so take your Dramamine!). You will definitely have some moments that you wish you could disappear as easily as Harry Potter in his invisibility cloak. But alas, you can’t; so instead, listen up and you can avoid some ish that happens with the advice of your new friend, Senior Fenna.

1. First off, do not order a white dress for homecoming. At the time it seems like a great idea, I know, but you will end up spilling hot coffee down the front of your dress at Burger King. Yes, it stains.
2. Don’t think you are talented enough to text while walking through the overpopulated hallways. You will run into a wall. So. Many. Times. Apparently, though, you are not alone in this struggle because later in your high school career, a young fella texting in the hallways will crash into you causing you to scream “OH MY GAWD!” and turn a lot of heads. Your friends will never let you live that down.
3. When building your car for Foundations of Science, you will face quite a bit of trouble trying to build the wheels, but whatever you do, do not scrap the wheels and make a sleigh. You will fail the project, despite all the glitter glue and sticker decorations (shoutout to my girl Kaitlyn).
4. During English 10 Honors, do not freak out. Yes, it’s hard, but your anxiety gets the best of you and you end up making yourself sick for two days straight. You will be okay, don’t even worry about it (even tho you never learned how to f#@%in read).
5. When you go to the bathrooms, just be careful. Why? Well, of course, the legendary tampon incident happened- aka the massacre in the second-floor bathroom. Pay attention to the ‘Caution-Wet Floor’ signs and step over the puddle instead of sliding into the tampon dispenser and breaking it. Do you really want to be known for getting all of those machines taken away because the office said it was an act of vandalism? Also, be careful when you bend down and place your backpack on the floor. Watch out for the hook on the door and do not hit your head because you will get a concussion and have a purple donut bruise on your forehead for weeks.
6. During your summer before junior year, go on the Europe trip with Dominic Iannone. It will 100% change your entire life. But be careful when you are up in the mountains in Austria, because you will get too excited about singing ‘The Hills Are Alive’ from the Sound of Music and hyperventilate because of the low oxygen from the altitude. Dom will have to call his wife to make sure you are not dying. Ugh.
7. During your junior year, you will have to leave behind your biggest passion-dance. But don’t worry, you will maintain all your friendships from dance and only continue to get better on your own. You will be okay.
8. The end of your junior year will be a time of change, and you will feel like your entire world is crashing down. But don’t push away your friends; they are there to help you unconditionally. You will get through it and soon realize it was all for the best.
9. In the summer before senior year, you will end up in New York, and you’ll realize that Iowa City isn’t the center of the universe. You will make the best friends of your entire life, and go through a complete self-discovery. You will come home a completely new person, and know exactly what your purpose in life is.
10. Senior year will be wonderful. You will reconnect with some of your friends, and become closer than ever before- I’m talkin’ to you, Taylor! Senioritis will kick in strong and going to class will become increasingly hard. You will literally become Michael Scott and try to run away from your responsibilities on a train. But in the end, you will get into your dream college and meet your future BFF and roommate. Every day will be full of hope and love because of your stellar friends, like Calla and Ang, and the excitement that your future holds.

So don’t worry, Freshman Fenna, you will get through this awkward time. There will be so many moments where you want to go hide and turn brighter than a tomato with embarrassment, but you will also find yourself with the help of your best friends. Now cue Hannah Montana’s “I’ll Always Remember You” and cry because, even though you complain 24/7 about West High, you will be beyond thankful for the memories you have.

And that’s all I have to say about that. XOXO,

Senior Fenna.