Watch Uzo Aduba’s Message To Her Younger Self

Remember being 18? The fears and frustrations, the teenage crushes, and that small, hopeful feeling that soon you'll have to grow up and start adulting — if only you knew what that even meant? Uzo Aduba certainly remembers the feeling of being on the precipice of the rest of your life. And in a new video for Teen Vogue, she is sharing all the advice her 18-year-old self needed to hear. "I am so excited for this chapter in your life," Aduba, 35, says in the clip. "This is when you started to realize your worth and your value. And that you are valuable, and that you are loved." Aduba's words might be addressed to her younger self, but they're valuable words of wisdom for us all. The OITNB star also talks about hard work, from her Nigerian mother's perspective, and has some sage words to share about female friendship. "This is what I'm going to tell you about friendships: They are the most valuable thing in your life, second only to family. Do not throw away a good friend. Hold on to those people. You are going to lean on them; lean into them on the best of days, the hardest of days, the saddest of days, in the victories and the losses."