No. Four

Dear Self, 

        By now, you should be comfortable with life. You should be happy,  well established, secure, and still evolving. Although I am sure you are all of those things, I'd hate for you to be content and completely satisfied. My aim for you is to continue to learn, experience, and strive to become a better you. You should be well traveled and have a broader perspective on different ways of life; seeing the world is essential and your travel experiences should help cultivate and frame the person you are. You should be proud of the person you have become, in the most modest manner. I hope that your genuine, gentle, and quiet spirit is still in place. I hope that you have not allowed anything or anyone to directly cause you to question your ability, knowledge, or beliefs in such a way that makes you feel inferior. You should be in complete control of your life and creating as you go. 

                                                                                                       Love, 

                                                                                                       Sterling 

In the future I see myself as being the best I can possibly be. Although I am unable to tell the future or even lay it out completely, I would like to be on the right track. I would like to be confident and settled within my career and important life choices. I've been extremely vague because I am still unsure about where exactly I would like to see myself in the future. I feel as though I am still figuring many things out and learning more and more about myself each day, especially since I've been in college. 

I've written my letter so that it would apply to any point in my life if I ever choose to alter my path. In order to get to the point I have written about, I am planning to continue to shape myself as a human being in the midst of influence and adversity I experience everyday.

No. Three - College

I must say, being at Carolina is much better than what I expected. I was a bit skeptical about going to school so close to home and was sure I wouldn't like it but I absolutely love it here! It feels great to actually be able to completely govern myself, unlike at home and I feel so comfortable here. However, the independence has definitely taught me so much already. My time is extremely important and I seem to have plenty of it here. So, prioritizing, keeping busy and time management are extremely essential. 

Along with having a nice stay, I really like my roommate. I met her in USC's Facebook group when we were both looking for roommates. We decided to go out for ice cream and that was that! We are definitely a lot alike which makes it even better. 

So far, I feel that my classes are helping to provide a smooth transition and I haven't encountered any struggles. I didn't load up onto too many classes that would overwhelm me completely. Although I know they are coming, I feel as though this semester will allow me to adjust and prepare for the usual, yet complex, workload ahead. 

No. Two - The Postmortal

Drew Magary's The Postmortal is definitely not a book I would have picked up to read on my own. However, it grew on me and sort of changed my perspective. It was a really easy read and slightly thought provoking. My favorite character in the book would have to be John's father. His initial reasons for not wanting the cure seemed the most logical to me, considering that I didn't  really support the main idea of the book. John's father also appeared to be the most grounded and content out of everyone. He was able to live the life he wanted before, without the cure, and saw no point in prolonging his fate. He also didn't believe in distancing himself even further from his deceased wife. Although he succumbed to the madness of the cure and regretted it afterwards, it continued to put things into perspective for him. He made an attempt to fit with society but received what he really wanted in the end.