Thank you.
I would not be who I am today without all of you. You are my parents, my older siblings, my teachers and my professors, my past and current friends, my boyfriend and my exes, people I’ve known for brief minutes, my supervisors, and my mentors in life.
To my parents, thank you for teaching me so many things, whether they were intentional or if they just happened. You taught me to be grateful for what I have and to fight for what I want. You taught me that life is not about possessions or money, but about pursuing your passions and finding happiness. You taught me to be my own person and not to let anyone change that. Thank you for allowing me to follow my dreams.
To my older siblings, thank you so much for always being there when I needed you. Even if you pushed me around sometimes (because that’s what older siblings do,) you always believed in me and supported me. Thank you especially to my oldest brother who set an amazing example for me and helped me when I needed help with Trig, going to college and boy troubles. You’re the best.
To my middle and high school teachers, thank you for believing in me even when I looked like a typical bad kid. Clad in band tees and bright pants with my black hair and lip rings (see scary picture below), I’m sure I was just a little intimidating. So many of you saw past that and let me grow into a great student.
High school was such a hard time for me. My mom was going through a third marriage and divorce, I moved a total of six times and we were facing extreme financial hardships. Thank you for listening to me through my tears, for helping us to get back onto our feet, and for giving me an escape from what felt so unreal but was my life. Thank you for giving me the support I needed and encouraging me every single day.
Thank you for your academic support. You allowed me to step outside of my comfort zone and become an academic leader. You gave me the opportunity to participate in PBIS workshops, Student Voice and so much more. I don’t think I ever learned more than I did about myself in those four years.
To my college professors, thank you for giving me so many amazing opportunities and for giving me so much support. In the past two years alone, I have accomplished so much. I’ve been to multiple conferences, helped start a campus branch of an international organization, tutored many students, participated in a faculty workshop, played amazing games with Historical content, gone to Chicago for only $20 and traveled to DC to conduct my own research project. None of this would have been possible without all of you. Thank you for all the letters of recommendation, the chats between classes, the words of encouragement and the invitations to participate in these amazing events.
To my long distance best friend, thank you for loving me and being there for me from 100 miles away. Our friendship has almost always been some kind of long distance, because we haven’t been at the same school since 8th grade. Whether I see you once a week or once every six months, you are an amazing friend and have been there for every heartache and pain I’ve had in the last seven years (which is a really long time.) Thank you for being amazing.
To the best friend I met in college, thank you for being you. When we met, we were both scared freshman. Scared of boys, scared of what college might hold, and scared we might not make friends. Luckily, we found each other. Thank you for literally always being there for me. From being my summer roommate to helping me take care of my countless car issues, I feel like I never thank you enough for everything that you do. You are such an amazing friend — don’t ever let anyone tell you otherwise.
There are a thousand more people that I could thank, but there aren’t enough words to express my gratitude. So here it is: If you’ve ever told me that I can do whatever I set my mind to, that I should pursue my passions, that I am intelligent and worthy, or that everything is going to be OK, thank you so much.
