My dad is my rock, my support system. It’s hard to realize the importance of people in our lives when we see them every day, they’re often only recognized when you are not with them. While I am away at school, I have had a lot of opportunities and time to reflect on my family, and when I do, I am bombarded with lessons that my dad has taught me.

He has shown me what it means to be loved.

Whether I am jumping around screaming about a job interview or crying my eyes out because I failed a test, I know he is the first person I tell. His emotions mirror mine. I can ask him to review my paper an hour before it is due or run away in panic asking him to kill the spider in the living room, and he always comes through.

He never goes a day without saying how proud he is of me. He is my biggest supporter.

He proves to me the meaning of hard work.

He works countless hours and is living proof that struggle breeds success. He went from a struggling teenager to a successful CEO. He has not just walked over obstacles, he has leaped over them. He reshapes each hardship into a lesson. He tells me that he cherishes his problems because they allow him to appreciate success. He has dedicated his life to helping others and goes out of his way to make every other person happy. He works long hours to help provide for me. He reminds me of the true meaning of family.

He has taught me that no matter what is thrown at me, I can succeed.

He is always a text or a phone call away.

Whether he is in a business meeting or taking a nap, he always makes it a priority to check in on me.

When I had totaled my car, he dropped what he was doing and immediately arrived at the scene. He held me crying as I was shaking in the front seat. He drove me to the emergency room at 2:00am when I was having pains. He came two hours to visit me at college when all I needed was a shoulder to cry on.

He listens to my rants about silly problems.

He checks in on me when I am struggling andencourages me when I am doing well.

An iPhone away.

He teaches me the importance of self-love.

When I am in the midst of a breakdown, he reminds me that I'm a fighter. When I've been in the library for weeks studying and haven’t slept, he texts me paragraphs to remind me that I can only do the best that I can.

He explains to me how important it isto be kind and forgiving to myself.

He has explained how I need to put myself first-- when he knows it is often hard. He has pointed out that I can be my own worst critic-- when I really need to be my own best friend.

He reminds me of my strength.

He knows exactly what to say.

For some reason, dads always know what is best. They have a sixth sense. Whether it is a whine about a boy or a question about my gas tank, he always recognizes what to do. And those days where I think I’m better off and I do not take his advice… he always smacks me with an “I told you so”.

Words cannot explain how grateful I am to receive every piece of advice that my dad has given me, and how lucky I am to hear every bad joke he has painfully cracked.

I’m lucky to have my hero.