I fell beyond in love with the cast of One Tree Hill right away. I grew this bond with the characters. I was just another resident of the small town of Tree Hill. I watched these characters grow up over the nine seasons; they became such powerful and successful human beings while still holding onto their true self. Watching One Tree Hill certainly changed my life, no matter how cliche that is. More specifically, Brooke Davis, changed my life. I have loved absolutely everything about her since day one, as Sophia Bush and as Brooke Davis. She taught me life lessons nobody in my present day thought to share with me. I will forever be grateful for such an amazing series and cast. I hope each of you know that you were more than just the Tree Hill Residents to us, especially people like me.

1. Be unapologetically you at all times.

I don't know how she did it, but she stuck to her true self and did not let anyone change that over the nine seasons. I could only dream of one day being so confident in my own skin, where I can proudly say, "I am who I am. No excuses."

2. Don't ever give up on love, no matter how many times it gives you a reason to.

I have been crushed and heart broken too many times, and to be able to just get right back up and try it all over again, takes a lot. You never know who belongs to your future, but you will never know unless you try; because of Brooke I can proudly say I am happy I tried. I remember being so ecstatic at the end of the series knowing that Brooke Davis was finally happy. She found someone who loved her more than she loved him, which we all know is pretty difficult with Brooke's huge heart.

3. You are not always going to be everyone's favorite person, but you cannot let that ruin you.

From an early season, Brooke taught me that you cannot expect everyone to love you. There will be people who try to bring you down, people who do not appreciate you and people who who want to see you fail. That is okay though and it is okay to be hurt about it as well, but at the end of the day the people who matter do not care and the people who care are those who do not matter.

4. It is okay to not be okay all the time.

So I am sure everyone who is here knows which episode this is from. After Brooke had this traumatic incident she was pretending to be okay and happy. This only tore her down more and caused her more pain than she had already endured. Once Brooke realized it was okay to show she was not actually okay, she found her wounds healing faster with support she needed all along. We all seek this in our lives every now and then; there is no shame to it, let people in.

5. You are certainly not the same person you were in high school.

Frequently we hear phrases such as "people can change" or "people will surprise you." Brooke Davis gave me hope that this might actually be true. She went from being young and making choices that needed little to no thinking, to becoming a happily married business woman. She made her dreams from high school turn to reality. Most importantly, she stopped letting others define her and where she was heading in life.

6. Time is precious.

One thing I am sure all of us took from Brooke Davis, is her ultimate joy for life. As she grew older she always seemed happy and thankful. She knew life was too damn short to let other factors block the views of your future.

7. Don't be afraid of telling people how it is or telling them the truth.

Growing up Brooke always had someone pushing her buttons or trying to get in the way of her life. She knew this too and that is why she never stood for it. She always looked them dead in the eye and made sure they knew exactly what they were doing would not stand with Brooke Davis.

8. Do not let the hardships you encounter in life define you.

When Brooke was told she could not have babies, she was hurt, but she did not give up. We could all tell that she would be the best mother one day if she was given the chance. Thankfully, Brooke stayed strong and her dreams came true with two beautiful boys.

9. No matter how bad things get, your true best friends will stay by your side through it all.

Brooke and Peyton had a roller coaster of a friendship, from the days of comfort when Peyton's mom died, days of throwing their memories at one another in fights, almost getting killed by Peyton's stalker and finally to one another's beautiful wedding days. I could only dream of a friendship that strong, one that will last a lifetime even through all the rough patches.

10. Be your own biggest supporter.

This is everything to me. Being a current college undergrad life gets hard really fast, but I recently decided that it all begins and ends with me. Once I start to believe that I will make it as far as my dreams are heading, that will be the start of it all.

So thank you Brooke. Oh and just so you know Brooke Davis, you did change the world yesterday, today and will continue to tomorrow.

"This is your world. You're here. You matter. You have been waiting." -Brooke Davis