With my first year of college ending in about two weeks, I cannot believe what a whirlwind this year has been. I went from texting my mom constantly saying how much I wanted to come home to reluctantly leaving for Easter Break, wanting to get back to school as soon as possible. And trust me... it was not the school work or the exams that were pulling me back to school. It was my friends.

Thinking about it now, I can't imagine how I lived my life without these people in it. While that sounds dramatic or over exaggerated, I think it's true. We all grew ridiculously close to our college friends in such a short amount of time and they become some of the most important people in your life by the time you have to pack up and leave your tiny dorm room and communal bathrooms for the summer. So here is my official thank you note to the people that, for the first time in my life, make me want to stay in school and not leave for the summer.

To my girls

Spread across four different dorms and three different majors, it felt like we met by some stroke of luck. However, after getting to know each other, it seemed more like fate than luck. We all randomly had mutual friends, whether it be from sports or different colleges, and suddenly it became obvious we would have met one way or another. Finding friends like you guys has to mean that all my good luck and karma is forever used up.

Thank you for dealing with me when I am hangry or complaining about my impossible Italian work. You all push me to be a better, kinder, more compassionate person through the never ending advice and occasional roast. There is always a smile on my face when we hang out, even when we are just struggling to finish our homework. Having friends like you is a gift I am thankful for every day. You made my first year of college one full of memories, Honeygrow, dance parties, intramural games, spontaneous adventures and much more. It hurts my heart that we won't all be together until next August but I'm excited about all the future shenanigans that have yet to come. Love you ladies!

To my guy friends

Let me start off by saying you are the oddest bunch of people I have ever met. Not that this is a bad thing, since it makes you all unique and special in my life. No matter what mood I am in, I can count on you all to make me laugh with one of your weird comments or stories about a passion that I didn't even realize was a thing until you explained it to me. I will never understand how you come up with some of the things that you say just because they are so absurd (but in the best way). Thank you for being our biggest cheerleaders, coaches and managers as we managed to lose every intramural basketball game. I appreciate that you allow me to be myself without any real judgment and put up with my constant affection. The best nights are when we are all hanging out, crammed into a tiny dorm room, doing the wildest things for no reason other to entertain ourselves. I am forever grateful that you let me into your lives. You guys are really the best and I am so happy to have grown close to every single one you. I love you people!

To everyone else

To everyone who has been a friend, ~sister~, hall mate or anything in between, thank you. Thank you for kindness and love you've shown me. I've never been surrounded by such a large group of people who show as much compassion as everyone here does. So thank you for everything.

This year has been one for the books all because of my friends. Through the highs and lows, they have stood by me and supported me every step of the way. I wish more than anything we could all be together during the summer but you know what they say... distance makes the heart grow fonder!