With move-in day only a few weeks away, it's important to make sure everything is in check. Finishing up dorm shopping, buying your books, trying to find out who you have classes with, and speculating how great the next four years are going to be can get overwhelming, trust me. I've let myself become so consumed in where, that I haven't given myself the proper time to appreciate where I've been. This time last summer, I was preparing for my senior year of high school. I was so excited that it was finally the year that I could apply to colleges and really find out what I wanted from my life. Little did I know, however, I wouldn't have been able to make it through my senior year without my teachers constantly supporting me. This is for them. They know who they are.

My dearest teachers,

Thank you. Thank you for teaching me how to write a strong paper, how to properly execute a lab, how to analyze poetry and literature, how our government works, but more importantly, thank you for helping me find myself. High school definitely wasn't a breeze, and I struggled. A lot. I lacked confidence in my ability to succeed, I was absolutely terrified of making a mistake and messing up (which in turn prevented me from doing a lot more than I wanted to), and I honestly lacked confidence in myself. Going into my senior year of high school, I knew I wanted to graduate and I knew I wanted to go to college, but anything more than that was entirely unknown to me. I didn't know what I wanted to major in, I didn't know where I wanted to go, and I didn't know where to start. What I did know, however, was that I was struggling. The divorce took a bigger toll on me than I was willing to let on, and I didn't know how to deal with it. It didn't take me long to realize that my biggest supporters through this, both academically and personally, would be you.

I don't need to explain to you my struggling -- you saw it first hand. You saw me cry, you saw me stress, and you saw me down about everything going on. There are no words to explain how grateful I am for the constant support I received through all of that, but it's definitely worth a shot (hence this letter). It's the job of a teacher to ensure their students succeed in the classroom, but you took it on yourself to see me succeed in life. You took me to workshops to feed my passions, you told me that it was OK to cry, as long as I remembered to breath somewhere in the middle of it, and you told me to do what makes me happy. Without you, I would be lost. I wouldn't have been able to pick my major so easily and with so much confidence, and I wouldn't have the confidence in myself to follow through with it. You always pushed what you saw to be the best for me, instead of just the best. I never felt the pressure with you that I did elsewhere to apply to a school because of its status or declare a major because of the success rate.

Although it's not my goal to be a teacher, you inspired me to be something great. You inspired me to not only become a person who works hard, but a person who is happy and confident. Over the course of the past year, I've gained so much confidence because of your support. I never felt like I needed to be anyone else, and I always felt like I was perfect how I was around you. I couldn't have made it to the place I am now without you. Thank you for being the person in my life that inspired me to follow my dreams, and only mine. Thank you for everything.

Love always,

Taylor