Everything I have done and will do in the future is to make my family proud. My youngest sibling, Matt, is starting school at South in the fall. Here is a letter addressed to him and kids who find themselves in a similar situation.

Dear Matt,

As you are about to enter the halls of Grosse Pointe South as a student for the first time, I wanted to write this letter giving you and similar kids some advice from my past four years.

First thing, I want to advise you to reach out to people. Too much of our social interaction has degraded to screens, and if you stop and look around, you will be able to make connections with people you never would have expected. At South, you will have so many opportunities to join different groups, and you shouldn’t be afraid to meet new people.

Try not to compare yourself to others. You are at one of the most competitive schools in the state, and many people here will have high ambitions. Don’t let that go to your head. Your self-worth isn’t tied to an arbitrary number like a test score or your GPA.

Another thing I would tell you is to be strong in your convictions. In my time here, a lot of what I have done is ‘fake it until you make it’. Just because you don’t know something at the beginning, doesn’t mean you can’t become an expert by the end. That goes along with becoming friends with good people. You will always be able to ask for help when learning something new. If you aren’t entirely sure of something, try your best to act as if you do. If you are confident, no one will notice.

One thing COVID taught me is how important living life is. As long as you are keeping up and challenging yourself, the biggest goal should be to have fun. Go enjoy a football game on Friday and stay up too late on the weekends with your friends. These are the memories that you will remember, and I wish I had more of them.

My biggest piece of advice is to be kind. As you will come to know, too much of what happens at South is negative. Strive to be the reason someone else had a good day. No matter what you do, I will always be your biggest supporter. Be yourself and be great.

From your Big Brother,

Mike Hamilton