I think young people today are under enormous pressure to be “enough.” Social media, school and family expectations all send mixed messages. Be unique but not too different. Be confident but not arrogant. Be successful but don’t brag. It’s no wonder so many of us feel confused, just like Anne did. We are constantly being told who to be and when we fall short of those expectations, we blame ourselves.

But growth doesn’t mean becoming someone completely different. It means becoming more of who you already are. I have learned to love the parts of me that I once wanted to change: my accent, my background, my journey. They are not flaws; they are my power. And the same goes for every young person who feels like they are not enough.

We can be better at accepting ourselves if we stop comparing our behind-the-scenes to someone else’s highlight reel. We need to normalize being a work in progress. Schools, families and communities should talk more about mental health and self-worth. Instead of just focusing on grades or achievements, we should celebrate resilience, kindness and growth.

Anne’s words taught me that it’s okay to not have everything figured out. It’s okay to feel lost, to laugh and cry in the same night and to want to be different while learning to love who you are. She may have lived in a different time, under unthinkable circumstances, but her reflections live on because they speak to something timeless: the struggle of becoming.

And in my own journey from a shy immigrant teen to a determined student chasing dreams, I carry her words as a reminder that I’m not alone in this confusion, and that change doesn’t mean losing yourself; it means finding who you were meant to be.

Brhandon Cantero Arenas, age 18