The Curious Case of Meeting Your Future Self: A Story of Growth

"What would your teenage self think if they met you now?" This question has been joyfully dancing in my thoughts lately. As I collect stories of these imagined meetings, I've discovered something extraordinary: We don't just become the people our teenage selves needed to meet—we become more than they could have dreamed possible.

My Teenage Self

Picture a girl in Connecticut, forehead pressed against her bedroom window until it left a mark, the glass fogging with each breath. The scent of my mother's marinara sauce wafted up from the kitchen, mingling with the familiar symphony of our old house—the radiator's hiss, the floorboards' protest, the wind's whisper through poorly sealed windows. That girl was hungry—not just for escape, but for growth, for experiences, for a life that matched the size of her dreams.

She needed to meet me. Not because I have it all figured out (she'd be relieved to know we never really do), but because I never stopped being hungry for more.

The Transformation

At 22, I became the first person she needed when we packed Heather’s (my college roommate) weathered Toyota Tercel, and drove across America. That night under the western sky, lying on a tarp in the New Mexico desert, the stars seemed close enough to touch—countless diamonds scattered across black velvet. That Connecticut girl had never seen a sky unmarred by light pollution, had never felt so small and so infinite at once. Every state line we crossed became a lesson in courage: "See? You can do the scary things." Every sunrise over an unknown city proved that home isn't always where you start—sometimes it's where you dare to land.

A Grown-Up Career

Now I walk the halls of the CDC, occasionally catching my reflection in the glass walls. That teenage girl, watching Outbreak in a Westchester theater, couldn't have imagined this reality. Sometimes I pause, watching myself in that reflection, and think about her heart racing with possibility. I wish I could tell her: "That flutter in your chest? It's anticipation. Trust it. It's leading you home."

Still Becoming

But here's what would really make her eyes shine: I'm still becoming. That fire she felt to experience more, learn more, be more? It never dimmed. Instead, it found new fuel, new directions, new dreams to illuminate.

When I mentor young scientists, I see her in their uncertain smiles. Last week, an intern lingered in my office doorway, twisting his ID badge the same way I used to fidget with my house key. As I shared my winding path with him—the false starts, the unexpected turns, the moments of doubt and triumph—I watched hope replace fear in his eyes. In that moment, I was exactly who my younger self needed all those years ago.

This journey taught me something precious: Hope isn't just about dreaming of a different future—it's about believing in your capacity to keep evolving, keep surprising yourself. Every time I learn something new or take on a challenging project, I'm honoring that hopeful teenager who knew there was more to discover.

Engage with the Curious

This is the first in a series I'm calling "The Curious Case of Meeting Your Future Self." Because these stories have power. They remind us that we're not just living our lives—we're becoming the answers to our younger selves' dreams, and then becoming even more.

The Wrap

Your story of becoming matters. Somewhere right now, another teenager is pressing their forehead against a window, leaving their own mark, waiting to meet their future self. Share your curious case:

• How have you become the guide your younger self was searching for?
• What new dreams are you nurturing now?
• How are you still surprising yourself?
• What would that younger version feel, seeing not just who you are, but who you're still becoming?

Because these stories aren't just about where we've been—they're beacons lighting the way for those still finding their path, showing them that growth never ends, that dreams keep expanding, that we never stop becoming.

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