Yes, This letter is for you.

To whom it may concern (which is almost certainly you if you’re reading this, and many, many more),

It’s awfully hard to reflect on 12 years of education and 17 years of life when that’s all that I know, yet doing just that seems important at a time like this.
And I only get one shot at this. What comes from the heart only needs speak once, because after that, words are much too processed in the mind.
I’ve thought about life as it’s happened so far, and where I am now, and there’s nothing that I would change about my life now. I’m going to college in the fall at the place I crossed off my list for being too outrageous, I’m living most comfortably with no distinct problems, I’m healthy, and no tragedy has recently come to me.
Given that, there’s therefore absolutely nothing in my life I would change, nothing I regret. My current self manifests out of everything I’ve been, done, experienced, and to have ‘ne of that gone differently might alter my current state.
Of course, this is a letter to you, and you’re probably wondering what this has to do with you. Almost everything.
Everything I’ve done can be associated to someone else. Some of it is direct, like the wonderful teachers who have taught me and inspired me to learn. Some of it comes of support, like my parents and family who I know will always be there for me to depend on, whether for that extra encouragement, or the slap in the face when I often need of. Some of it you’re likely unaware of, when I watch other ppl (in a totally non-stalkerish way) and see their progress, and how I might emulate that for myself, or completely avoid such foolishness. Not to say I saw you when you picked your nose or scratched your butt in English class when I looked in your direction (10 to 1 says that someone just freaked out), but I’ve reflected so much on events in the world around me, that I’m certain that more you’ve done has factored into my life than you think.
And I’m constantly amazed at the ppl I have gotten to work with. So often, ppl speak of how our society is going down the john, how my generation, with its video games, IM, and angry music will be the destruction of the world, but there’s no way. I’ve seen and heard of the many foolish things my classmates (and me as well) have attempted, but I also ‘member the English discussions where amazing insight has been explained. I know about the passion that drives so many of my peers, and how well our parents and teachers have focused us and prepared us to become something amazing from it.
So my life is really the story of everyone else, and what I have seen of that. I think of my high school resume, yet behind each bullet lies a full anecdote on its own. I may have learned much of programming on the way to awards, but, as cliche as it sounds, I’ve learned more from the ppl surrounding it. When I talked to you about the apple pie while practicing drill, or when we played Dark Forces instead of working in Challenge, I had one more opportunity to see a little more about you, about someone.
From all of that, I now carry the memories and lessons that will guide me for the rest of my life. Thank you so much to all of you, because in at least one person’s life, you’ve made a difference. You have become a part of my life, and to define who I am, what I’ve become, without naming all of you would be an inaccurate representation of who I am. Truth, some of you have had a larger impact than others, but everything matters. In a frictionless environment, even a marble can knock a watermelon far off-course.

Sincerely,
Kevin Leung