Dear Freshman Year,

Thank you.

I cannot emphasize how grateful I am for you. Thank you for the incredible memories, the exciting changes, and the new experiences. Thank you for my new friends and relationships. These are the times I will look back on and cherish indefinitely, these are connections that will last a lifetime.

Thank you for teaching me responsibility. There is no greater test of one's responsibility than sending them out into the world to fend (well, not completely, but you get the idea) for them self. I now know when I have to drag myself away from Netflix to do laundry, that even though it is in my power to skip class I shouldn't do it (no matter how much I hate it), and to balance friends and fun outings with the dreaded homework and studying.

Thank you for letting me make mistakes. I have learned so much from my mistakes with friends, school, and living on my own, and will take this into my future in college and beyond.

Thank you for teaching me how to utilize my time. With all this new time I have, it was easy to plop in front of my computer and watch TV or go to Disneyland any free moment I had. But, I soon learned that there are more productive uses of my time (even though Disneyland is hard to pass on) and bettered myself through new experiences.

Thank you for teaching me acceptance. I have met so many different people from so many backgrounds and interests and have learned to love and relate to each one, no matter how different. I spent my last four years in high school immersed in a community of people who were all like me and shared my interests, so it was refreshing to be exposed to such a wide range of people from different states, countries, majors, and backgrounds.

Thank you for exposing me to the dorm experience. I have met so many great people and have learned so many life skills through living on campus with people in the same boat as me. I am going to miss walking the halls late at night and talking to whoever happens to be in the lounge at 1 a.m. I'm going to miss the convenience of having my best friends and boyfriend practically as my neighbors.

Thank you for giving me the greek life experience. Through my sorority, I have been given so many incredible opportunities and have met so many outstanding women, I can't wait to be by their side the next three years.

And last but not least, thank you so much for giving me so much to look forward to next year. I can't wait to come back to all of my amazing teachers, friends, and all around community my amazing university has given me. See you in the fall!