Dear Determined Me: Kyla’s Letter to Her Younger Self
I'm Determined Youth Leader Since 2019
Meet Kyla: Kyla Dolan is a junior at Goucher College majoring in history, and her dream is to go to law school and become a criminal defense attorney. She has ADHD and Asperger’s Syndrome, advocates fiercely for herself and others, and loves reading, music, true crime documentaries, and baking.
Dear Determined Me,
I hope you are doing great! I hope you are proud of how far you have come! I wanted to let you know about what you are doing now! For starters, after attending your first IMD Summit, you became a Youth Leader! You managed this position during a global pandemic, you also became a better self advocate, you also took 3 AP classes and a Dual Enrollment class in high school! You also graduated high school and also started college, if you’re wondering your original plans on majoring in International Relations wound up becoming a History major (if you’re wondering, it was always clear that you would end up being a History major when you started college). You will also spend the spring of 2026 studying abroad in Tartu, Estonia! Some advice I would give is to not worry about all of the little things, don’t take everything so seriously, and please try to get your own dorm room for your freshman year of college (the roommate drama isn’t worth it). Speaking of the terrible roommate situation, it did help you learn how to deal with terrible people before you go abroad, you also learned how to declare your major, how to register for your classes for the semester! I’m so proud of you!
