Gianna Longo

Longo co-hosting at the Roger Rees Awards.

As I sit here writing this on May 26 (I still haven’t figured out that whole deadline thing), I’m suddenly freaking out about the fact that in nine days, I’ll be 18. I know that at 18 I’m not even through a quarter of my life yet, but these 18 years have seriously put me through the ringer. The least I can do is impart my young adult wisdom on you all in the hope that you handle some situations in a much smarter way than I did. These tidbits have been culled from my mom, my brother, my friends, my teachers, really anyone who helped me come out a little stronger on the other side. Here are my 18 pieces of advice that I wish I could have relayed to my younger self:

1. Everything on the internet is permanent – seriously. It is. Do not let Snapchat’s 24-hour disappear settings, or Instagram’s vanish mode, or iMessage’s “Undo Send” feature, or any sort of ability to delete a message or post fool you. Whatever you try to erase on your end will always exist on someone else’s. 
2. Have different standards for yourself than you have for others. This is not to say that you should set the bar excessively high or low for other people. This is to say that it’s okay to expect a lot from people or expect them to do a good job, but no one else will ever do something the same way you do it. 
3. Don’t be afraid to be friends with people who aren’t in the same grade as you. This could very well be a side effect of the nature of the music department, but many of my closest friends are in the grades above or below me. 
4. Put in just enough effort that you’ll do well. This one is courtesy of my brother who often saw me stressing over the diminishing marginal returns when it comes to time spent on homework and studying. In your junior and senior years, you tend to get caught up in this whole “I need my grades to look really good for colleges” maelstrom, and it 100% sucks. It will take time to figure out your perfect ratio, but there is a threshold at which the amount of hours you continue studying will not affect your grade on a test, and it is truly never worth it to go past this threshold. 
5. The only person you should ever compete with is yourself. You are never obligated to share a test grade with other people. Perform for yourself only, and you’ll reap the benefits – I promise. 
6. Don’t let Class Night impact your friendships. Need I remind you that Class Night is all of three weeks. Do not let those three weeks of frustration get in the way of your sports teams or your childhood friends.
7. Don’t be committed to just one friend group. It’s okay to be part of different friend groups, be friends with people who aren’t friends with each other, and have different friends from the person you’re dating. It’s also important to not let these different groups get in the way of one another. 
8. Develop a funky sock collection, or really a collection of anything. Having a bunch of trinkets is fun!
9. Get a job, at least once. You’ll either hate it or you won’t, and you end up learning a lot about yourself. 
10. Be mindful of how you talk about your body in front of your peers. Body image issues are real, and they transcend age, gender, race, religion, etc. You run the risk of making others think very negatively about themselves if you don’t take a look around the room before you say something.
11. Stop using “fatty” as an insult. It’s really weird, and if you wouldn’t actually say it to someone who isn’t stereotypically “skinny,” then you know that what you’re saying is wrong. 
12. Befriend the teacher who’s often overlooked by everyone else. You’ll get a great, really thoughtful letter of recommendation. 
13. Put your phone away for at least one meal each day. You’d be surprised at the enlightening and thoughtful conversations you can have with your family or friends when you’re not staring at a screen. 
14. Understand the implications of using Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI is powered by data centers that generate unhealthy amounts of heat, and water-cooling systems are used to prevent overheating. Every unnecessary search on ChatGPT wastes water. 
15. Download either Goodreads or Letterboxd. If you’re going to use your phone for something, at least have it be a little enriching. Plus, getting to know your future college roommates through their favorite books or movies tells you a lot about them as a person. 
16. Be willing to listen to everyone’s point of view, especially when it comes to politics. Thinking your opinion is the only correct one won’t get you very far. 
17. Say “hi” to as many people in the hallway as you can each day. You’re guaranteed to make at least one person happier.
18. Always try to see the good in everyone, especially yourself. There is no one on this earth who has the ability to make you a better person than you. You will always have good in you, even if other people tell you that you don’t.