As my alarm clock goes off I pry my eyes open and force myself out of bed. It is Thursday; I am over the hump of my long week, and as I print the paper I stayed up till 2 AM to write I yearn for the weekend. I open my snapchat app over cereal in my small studio apartment and am confronted with a memory from “4 years ago today”. As I watch the video I composed for myself on February 29th, 2020 I am overwhelmed with emotions. What I feel most is pride. 

I stand before myself a freshman, apologizing to my future self that she is probably not having as much fun as I am right now. With my whole college experience ahead of me I am overwhelmed with joy, excitement, but already the fear of it all flying by too quickly. If only I could tell my freshman self that the chapter of my life I am living on February 29th, 2024 does not warrant an apology. 

After four years of late nights, long hours in the library, and countless exams, I willingly signed up for more and am almost through my first year of law school. While my freshman year self was right that I would miss mundane breadth courses and late nights in the dorm with my friends, she failed to reflect on the immense pride and satisfaction I have gained through taking this next step forward. While I still have a long fight ahead of me, student loans that need paying off, and another paper due tomorrow, I am one step closer to devoting my life to a cause I feel most passionate about: environmental protection and justice. 

There is no way to know where I will be on the next leap year but I know my unwavering work ethic and perseverance will lead me exactly where I need to go, as it has from 2020 to 2024. I hope to use my years in school to build a more sustainable future for those who will succeed me. I hope to celebrate many more leap years, and with them see environmental progress the same way I have seen my own personal progress. I hope to be a leader in the fight for this future, and it drives my late nights, long hours in the library, and countless exams. 

My future is not exact. I do not have a clear road map or specific goal in mind, but rather a feeling. If next leap year I feel accomplished, proud, and confident in the work I have put forth for the last four years, I will know I have lived them right.