Dear Lovely Human Beings,

Growing up watching movies and TV shows that involved the transition from high school to college always made it seem like making new friends in a new place was much easier than it actually is. Being that both of us were in the same position, lonely, and hoping for a friendly new smile to become a good friend, I think we were pretty lucky to have stumbled across each other. It seems as if we’ve known each other for much longer than only two or three months now, and I want to thank you for choosing me out of thousands of others to be one of your closest friends.

During 'Welcome Week' I was the most anxious I had been in a while, with thoughts of “Will I actually make friends? What if they don’t like me? What am I going to do?” clouding my mind. I was very lucky that my roommate and I happened to already have a close friendship, but I wanted to expand my bubble and meet even more wonderful people. I just wasn’t exactly sure how I was supposed to do that. The nerves definitely kicked in when I went to each of my classes for the first time in hopes of making friends. I remember I would scope out the room and look for an open seat next to someone who looked like they might be looking for a possible new pal like I was.

A few weeks after classes had started, I noticed that people had started to find their groups of friends and continued to sit with them in class, as did I. I don’t remember exactly how the close friendships formed outside of class, but I’m more than thankful that they did. I think once you start getting to know people outside of class, that’s when your bond with them truly starts growing. That’s when you know that you have someone to experience new adventures with, someone who will be there for you no matter what, and someone you’ll eventually thank for being your friend.

I guess a good way to start would be by saying thank you.

Thank you for helping to motivate me to do well in my classes. There’s no one else I’d rather stay at the library until early hours in the morning with while sipping on cold coffee, desperately trying to stay awake. Also, I’m practically the queen of procrastination, so the extra support helps tremendously.

Thank you for reminding me to go to the gym even when I would much rather be napping or binge watching Netflix. Going to the gym definitely helps me feel a little less guilty about getting late night pizza or panda express as often as we do, and honestly, I probably wouldn’t go as much as I do without your encouragement, even though I don’t go THAT much. It also helps to have a gym buddy so I don’t embarrass myself alone while trying to figure out how to use any other machine besides the treadmill.

Thank you for always having my back. Whether I’m sick, stressed, not in the best mood, miss class, or have a rough night out, you always have my back, and of course, I always have yours as well. Thank you for protecting me, especially because I tend to make poor decisions sometimes, for being a shoulder to cry on, for providing and caring for me, for sharing your love, hugs and cuddles with me, for telling me the truth, even when it might not be what I want to hear, for laughing with me until our tummies hurt, and so much more that would take forever to list.

Thank you for helping to shape me into a better version of myself. Each of you offers different qualities and characteristics that inspire me to become a better person. You’ve all taught me a variety of things; like standing up for myself and my beliefs, staying strong in tough situations, treating every person I encounter with nothing but kindness, and replacing negativity with optimism and making sure to put my happiness before others, which I’ll admit I still have trouble doing. Of course, those are only a few of the many lessons I’ve learned and still have to learn, but I can already tell that I’ve changed in a good way all because of you.

Thank you for making this new environment feel like home. I couldn’t be more honest when I say that college is my home away from home, thanks to you all. Of course visiting my real home is always lovely, but I can’t seem to help the fact that I miss this wonderful place so much shortly after I leave.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don’t think I could ever thank you enough. I’m so incredibly grateful to have friends like you and I couldn’t imagine the first semester of my freshman year being any other way. I can’t wait to see what second semester and beyond have in store for us.

Love always,

A forever friend