BBC Generation 2014: Sarah Macdonald's story
"For me, the future is a mix of excitement, worries, dreams, dangers, hopes and imagination all merged into a giant hazy mass of opportunity.
"The way I imagine myself in 10 years' time changes from day to day.
"Sometimes I see a high-flying lawyer, fighting for equality and justice; other times I become a pastry chef, cycling along the cobbled pavements of Paris; or a writer, sitting by an open fire place, reading, drinking tea by the barrel and dedicating my life to books in the middle of nowhere.
"All I know is that I want to be doing something I love, in a world in which I feel proud to have made a difference and to always be able to return home, to Scotland, whenever I please.
"A decade is a long time. Not only in my own life, but in the development of society and in the life of a country.
"Only a few decades ago, a black president of the USA was unimaginable, global warming was to the majority nothing more than a myth and the function of a mobile phone was simply to phone people.
"Could anyone really have foreseen the Arab Spring and its consequences, the legalisation of same sex marriage or even the bizarre horse meat scandal?
"Such a diverse variety of events demonstrate just how unpredictable and surprising the future can be.
"I would like to think that advancements will continue until there is an end to war, hunger and poverty, but I know that humanity's unending greed will prevent this.
"On a more local level, independence for Scotland seems like a fantastic chance for radical change.
"It is my belief that the potential that our country holds for change is enormous.
"Independence could bring the capacity to become economical leaders, to become known as an individually strong country - not a mere extension of the British empire, to be in control of our own priorities and money.
"To become recognised as a country with it's own culture, history and indigenous language. My biggest hope is that one day, I will be able to go abroad and say that I am Scottish without being met with the question "Is that in England?".
"Today, one year away from the independence referendum, I feel privileged and proud to be part of the first generation of 16 and 17-year-olds that will be able to vote for their country's future and to have a say in the changes that could massively affect the rest of their lives."