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Estacado High freshmen write letters to their future selves - KCBD
Estacado High School freshmen write letters to their future selves as part of a school tradition designed to help students work through adversity and reflect on who they are. Josue Espinoza, the school's academic dean, said the exercise asks students to start small before looking at the bigger picture.
Josue Espinoza, the school's academic dean, said the exercise asks students to start small before looking at the bigger picture. The goal isn't to map out an entire life plan on day one. It's to get honest about where you are right now.
"We ask our students to truly reflect on what it is they want initially, to look at the small goal first," Espinoza said. "The small goal a lot of the times is I just want to get through high school. I just want to get my freshman year done." From there, students are pushed to figure out their own identity before the school steps in to help shape what comes next.
For kids walking into Estacado as ninth graders, that's no small ask. Freshman year can feel like a wall, and this tradition gives students a way to name what they're up against and put it on paper.
A letter written at fourteen, read years later by someone who made it through, carries a weight no grade report ever could.
Common questions
Why are Estacado High freshmen writing letters to themselves?
- It's a school tradition designed to help students reflect on who they are and work through adversity. Academic dean Josue Espinoza says the goal is to get students honest about where they are right now, starting with small goals like simply getting through freshman year before thinking bigger.
What do students actually write about in these letters?
- Students are asked to reflect on what they want initially, focusing on small goals first. For many freshmen, that means just getting through the school year. From there, Estacado encourages students to figure out their own identity before the school steps in to help shape what comes next.
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