Dear freshman year,

I figured I owe you a thank you for all the things you’ve brought me this year. So thank you for a fresh start, full of opportunities and new outlooks.

Thank you for forcing me out of my comfort zone. Thank you for a year full of firsts. Thank you for answered prayers about new, genuine, friends.

Thank you for the awkward first day of classes, when I roamed campus like a lost puppy. Thank you for professors who are compassionate and enthusiastic.

Thank you for first football games and screaming Dixie Land Delight. Thank you for all-nighters at the library (with lots of Starbucks).

Thank you for group grocery trips and buying Ramen in bulk. Thank you for late night talks with the entire dorm floor. Thank you for slip-ups and bad test grades that pushed me to be better.

Thank you for new faces that I’ve been missing my whole life.

Thank you for teaching me I can be okay on my own.

Thank you for introducing me to my future bridesmaids. Thank you for making me realize how much my family means to me while I’m away.

Thank you for Sunday’s full of way too much laundry. Thank you for spontaneous drives with friends, blaring your favorite songs.

Thank you for clueless boys and lessons learned.

Thank you for stories I’ll tell my kids about. Thank you for giving me people to help me become the best version of myself.

Thank you for all the laughs that made me cry.

Thank you for the countless videos and photographs I know I’ll look back on someday and miss.

Thank you for teaching me that I have so much more to learn. Thank you for exceeding my expectations.

Freshman year, you’re almost over. So most importantly I want to thank you for teaching me to cherish every memory. I have a good feeling there will be many more.

Sincerely,

An (almost) Sophomore