A letter from September 26th, 2017

Dear FutureMe, My name is Amy Young. I am 18 years old and from Palos Verdes Estates, California, which is a suburb about 45 minutes from Los Angeles. I grew up in a nice, big house with my parents, Mark and Janet Young, and my older brother, Austin Young. Austin is about three years older than me and currently 21 and attending the University of California, Berkeley. My father works in Finance, and my mother works in sales. I love my family, and they are super awesome. Right now, we have three dogs. Abby and Churchill are yellow and black Labrador Retrievers, and Rickie is a mix of an American Bulldog and an American Pitbull Terrier. Rickie is my dog, and I adopted him a few months ago from an animal shelter in Carson. I planned to rescue him and rehome him, but he became part of the family quickly. Before our current dogs, my family had Winston and Maggie who were also a black and yellow Labrador Retriever, but they sadly passed away a few years ago. I also have a pet shrimp named Adolfo and a bottom feeder fish named Forrest. They are super cool and eat a lot of algae. I grew up riding horses and have owned three throughout my life. I had to sell my beloved horse, Pinto, before college, but he was my best friend. I have been riding horses since I was three years old, and it is definitely my passion! I do jumpers, which is all about being fast with no faults and jumping big jumps. I love it so much because it is such an adrenaline rush. At SMU, I am joining the polo team, and it is super fun so far. All my friends back home are super great, and I miss them all a lot. I have Danielle who has been my friend since middle school, and we met through horse back riding. Then, I have Erin who has been my friend for about two years, and we also met through horse back riding. They are my two closest friends, and we have all been through so much together. Paige is also one of my best friends who I have known since before I was even born, and she rocks. I also have Sammy, Emma, Ashley, and a lot of others who are all really good friends to me. I also have my boyfriend, Austin. He is the best, and I love him so much. I knew going into college that having a long distance boyfriend would be tough, but we make it work! He is currently in boot camp down in San Diego becoming a Marine. I am so proud of him, and I am so lucky to have him in my life! Coming to SMU was a big change from growing up in Los Angeles. I wanted to get out of California just for a change of lifestyle. Los Angeles is very liberal and some of the people are just rude and annoying, so it is a nice change to be in Texas. I definitely miss the beach though since I am a total water baby. People always ask me why I chose SMU, and, to be honest, I do not really know why. It was the best university I got into, with the best business school where I could get a full college experience, so I just sent in my deposit! I am having a great time so far and have made so many new friends, which is so nice. I have a lot of goals for myself for the future. In a few months, I really hope that I am still getting straight As, while also enjoying myself and making even more friends. Hopefully, I have figured out what I want to do with my education more because, right now, I am really unsure of my plans in the future. I hope by winter that I am in the sorority that I wanted, and that I am making a lot of friends and having a great time too. I also hope my boyfriend and I are doing well too, and he is succeeding in his career. I hope my family and friends are doing great, as well. Long term goals would include getting married and having some super cute children and a lot of dogs and horses. I also want to be very successful with my personal career as either a personal trainer, real estate broker, developer, or hedge fund manager. Most of all, I hope I am happy with myself and who I have grown to become as a woman. I hope my parents and friends are proud of me, and I am proud of myself.