It sounds cliché, but it's true. My time as a teenager never went smoothly -- I had bumps in the road that seemed unrecoverable. But no matter what happened to me, my family was always there for me. They were there when I cried over that boy or lost that one friend. When my world was falling apart, my mom picked up the pieces and my sisters made me laugh. It's been a wild 17 years, and it has definitely brought us closer.

From the beginning, my mom was always there for me. She made me dinner, she made me laugh and she gave me everything I ever could've wanted. I used to want to grow up and move out of the house, but I could never be far from her. She's my go-to for the good days, the bad days, and the really, really ugly days too. My mom knows me better than anyone else, even myself. My dad was always my coach -- in life and in sports. And yeah, it was horrible sometimes. I'd have to run the extra lap or take the extra shots, but he only did it to better me. I see it now.

My sisters are my travel buddies, gym motivators and baking sous chefs. We've been all around the world together, and seen thousands of sights. Ellie and Annie are so different from me, but somehow we make it work. Ellie and I share a floor and bathroom, which can totally drive us crazy. But what sisters don't fight? I'm their personal makeup artist and they back me up through the fights -- from friends to family.

I've gone through a lot in the past four years, but they've always been there for me. When I need an escape, I have one. When I need breakfast because I overslept, I have one. When I cried all night, they have cold spoons ready to de-puff my eyes. Our family, through thick and thin and the worst times in the world, always sticks together. We've been apart for weeks and weeks at a time, but we always pick up right where we left off. From deaths to marriages, the Borin family has stuck together. I don't think I could ever be apart from them for more than a few weeks at a time. They've always been there, and they forever will be.

I used to have moments where I'd want to move and never come back; my family drove me crazy! But as I've grown up, I've realized how important they are to me. My life experiences have opened my eyes and made me aware of how much I need my mom's tea or my dad's homemade pesto. My sisters and I are so close in age that it can seem like we're always at each other's throats, but I wouldn't want them to go very far.

One time, my sister Ellie asked me where I wanted to go to school. At the time, I was thinking about international schools. When I told her that, she seemed shocked, and she told me I couldn't go further than Boston. Anything else was much too far for her liking. And now I feel the same way. When she visited colleges in Maine, I told my mom I thought she was going too far away. I love Ellie, and I don't want to be that far from her. I love my family. We've gone through too much together to separate now. They're my my never-giving-uppers, my always's and my forevers. They're my biggest fans and my best friends