Dear everyone I’ve ever met,

Thank you.

No matter how long we’ve known each other or what we’ve gone through (or not), every interaction we’ve had has tremendously influenced my life and has gotten me to this very moment — college.

To not only my parents, but also to any parents who have kids going off to college this year: we, as your kids, have learned so much from you; you’ve taught us the simplest things (our “pleases” and “thank you's”) but you’ve also taught us everything we need to know to become successful in the next stages of our lives. Whether you’ve been heavily involved in our lives or not, either way, you’re an incredibly important part of who we’ve become and our development as human beings heading into the vast, scary thing we call life. But now, as August is actually here and we finally start packing, it’s time to start letting us go and allowing us to make our own mistakes and finally learn what it’s like to be independent. Despite our teenage tantrums and our constant yearning for freedom from our parents, we’re honestly scared to be on our own, or at least I am. I’m ready to explore all the things that college has to offer me but I’m also terrified of leaving everything that has become familiar to me. But, because of you, Mom and Dad, I know that I have the strongest support there is; you guys are my backbone that keeps me standing up.

To Josh Kim, my favorite little brother, you’ve taught me a lot about myself too. You’ve kept me true and honest to myself and you’ve called me out when I needed a reality check. You’ve never given me anything less than love and support and I really want to thank you for that. I know that I can count on you to make me laugh and smile, even when I think I’ve had the worst day. Good luck in high school, dude; we both know you’ll do better than I did.

To my friends and peers from high school (and everything in between), I’ve learned a lot from you, too. You’ve taught me how to laugh at myself and my own mistakes, how to make an awkward situation even more uncomfortable and ultimately, you’ve taught me how to be the best friend I can be in general. You’ve given me everything to look forward to in college because I know that because of you, there are good people out there that I have yet to meet. Keep being you and go slay everything (and everyone) in college because you deserve nothing less than the best parts of life.

To my dearest ride or dies, Jess, Jiwoo, and Claire, our relationships have proven that time doesn’t have any weight in determining who we instantly connect and become close with. Despite knowing all of you for less than a year, you’ve all been the most influential people I have yet to meet. You’ve taught me to love who I was, am, and will become and you’ve inspired me to be the best Andrea I can be. You’ve given me true happiness and therefore rekindled my desire to be creative; and for that, I will forever be thankful. Because of you guys, I found a family that I was so blessed to be able to choose; basically I already have my home away from home in college. I can’t wait to see what the future has in store for all of you as individuals and for us as a little squad. I love you guys more than anything.

And finally, to Jennie (mom?!), I can’t thank you enough for entering my life at the time you did. Haiti was the most eye-opening and enlightening experience I’ve had and you showed me that it was more than OK to make mistakes because that’s what it is to be human. You gave me a shoulder to cry on when I felt like I was alone in this world and you taught me to be nothing less than myself and you loved me regardless. You’re one of the most important people in my life and you inspire me beyond what words can even describe. Thank you for listening to me and not just hearing what I had to say.

I know I probably don’t say it enough, nor do I show my appreciation for all of you enough, but you mean the world to me. Thank you for helping shape who I am today and thank you for being a part of my life. I’m so blessed to have known all of you and I only hope that I’ve at least given you a fraction of what you’ve given me.

Again, thank you for everything. I love you guys.

Much love,

Andrea