Hey Friends,

It’s me Joan or Joany or whatever nickname I’ve acquired over the years.

Anyways, you know me as being the ultimate sentimentalist and just an all around sap so I wanted to say: I love you guys.

Like I know I nonchalantly say this constantly but you guys are my people. I love you. College has been a wild adventure and I’m treasuring all the experiences and there’s been some great people here too. But they’re not you. They don’t understand me like you do and coming home for break and seeing some of you and just the daily interactions we’ve kept up through social media have made me realize there’ll never be a group of people who know me like you.

You’ve seen my good, my bad, and heaven forbid the dark ages of my ugly. (Don’t we all love middle school and puberty) You guys have stuck with me and seen me grown from the physical “glo up” (shoutout to contacts and getting my braces off!!) and my intellectual and emotional growth of me becoming more of the person I want to be.

Thank you for being my go-to support team besides my family.

When drama comes my way and I need to vent and hear an opinion, you never fail to give what I need to hear even if the truth hurts. It just shows you care so much that you wouldn’t want me living a lie.

You remind me of my worth when I get down. You make me laugh as we get nostalgic and walk memory lane and laugh (maybe more cringe) about how we interacted on social media talking to celebrities or how we made nicknames/codenames for people we “like like” and wrote novels of letters to one another in class. For they boys, do you remember my 5 stars or my intensity when playing cards or capture the flag and dodgeball?

It’s hard not seeing you as often. Sometimes I catch a song playing like “It Wasn’t Me” and it takes me back to memories of joy with you and I singing along, smiles on our faces. Sometimes I go through old pictures because I just miss those days when you were so near.

Thank you for always having a listening ear. Especially now when it’s harder to understand the context of my problems since you don’t know the people I’m talking about and just the life I'm living now.

Thank you for still being my friend. I know I’m a handful. I feel things too much. I can be petty and obsessive. But regardless of my flaws, you always make me feel confident and happy with who I am.

I know we’re all on our own adventures now in our separate colleges. I’m beyond excited for what the future will bring for you. I’ll share in your victories and empathize with your sorrows. I’ve got your back and I know you have mine.

Miles is just a number when it comes to you and me. Thank you for being a person I can call home. Thank you for making me feel loved. Thank you for being my best friend.

With all my love,