Katie Holmes has expressed, in a rare and heartfelt revelation, just how proud she is of her daughter, Suri Cruise, who is now 18 and ready to take on the world of college—if, of course, she has chosen to do so. Town and Country editor-in-chief (and former Vanity Fair president) John Killick was the lucky scribe who got to hear this lovely tête-à-tête with the actress. In it, Katie reflects on the challenges of being such a young mother while also being part of the A-list elite, which she and former husband Tom Cruise have never really escaped since their much-publicized divorce in 2012.

As Suri approaches her 19th birthday—the identical age at which Katie was cast as Joey Potter in the iconic ‘Dawson’s Creek’—Katie reflects with affection on her own coming-of-age story. Fond memories tumble from her as she describes the late 1990s, when she and her contemporaries were just beginning to explore their identities. For some of us, those years came with more innocent fun that, in hindsight, makes them appear even more delightful. Of course, ‘Dawson’s Creek’ was a huge part of that for a lot of us.

As Suri gets ready to ascend, Katie reflects on the loveliness of new starts, finally deciding that they are, for sure, the life gifts. Is there a reconnection in Joey Potter’s future? Staring into the crystal ball, we see Suri stepping firmly into the not-so-distant future of either 2023 or 2024. On that way, Suri has to trust and use the foundational skills and assets she earned in her time at the Creek. If not, we just have to conclude that some dumb luck has fallen upon Suri to end up with the kind of gig she has.