I know that with you this is never really a goodbye, but I know things are changing. I know our lives and our friendship is changing and growing. We may not be able to see each other as much with our hectic schedules, but I wanted to let you know how proud I am of you.

I’m so proud of everything you already have and everything you will do. I’m proud of everything you are about to accomplish. I am surrounded by friends with such passion and drive, and you make me a better person for it, and I don’t tell you anywhere near as much as I should.

I know the world has so many more adventures and opportunities waiting for you, with or without me. I’m excited to be apart of many, and hear about all the things that I’m not. I’m sure you’ll have many journeys for me to listen to moving forward in your life and your career,

Sometimes the world is going to knock you down. Sometimes things just don’t go as planned. It always sucks, I know. But just know that things always happen for a reason, even if we don’t understand it right away. I’ll always have an ear open for you to rant if you need to, and always have a shoulder for you to cry on. Even if we are apart, I will always be a phone call (or Snapchat) away.

You are becoming such an amazing person who isn’t afraid to go after the things they want and the things they believe in. I couldn’t even begin to explain how proud that makes me, and how I admire you for that. You are so strong. You’ve been through so much but you never let that stop you from getting where you are now, or where you are going to go. Even if things seemed like the end of the world at the time, you always got through it, even when you weren’t letting on how bad it was. That chapter of your life is over, and a new one is about to start.

Thanks for always being my best friend. Thanks for being there for me no matter what you were going through, and always texting me back (eventually). Thanks for all the ice cream and movie dates, dinners at Applebee’s, and awkward conversations at weird hours and weird places. Thanks for listening to me complain about teachers and assignments and papers, when you always had just as much work to do as me. Thanks for ranting about your stupid part time job with me, as we await the bigger ones that are soon to come.

So congrats on graduating my friend! You’ve been through what felt like hell and back by now, and soon enough it’s all over. It was such a slow process actually going through it, but now you’re asking yourself how it went by so fast. I always knew you could do it. I love you.