Dear Mr. President,

This semester is quickly coming to a close. It feels like just last week we were returning to campus sweating profusely while unpacking our things and trying to endure the southern summer humidity. And yet here we are, packing up our things and cramming for our last few finals. The semester has come and gone so quickly. But in that time we’ve experienced so many moments that will stick with us, and through it all, you have been like our supportive, loving, and, yet, strong grandfather.

Thank you for giving us a school to be proud of. We work hard in the classroom, in our jobs, and in our activities -- and you have acknowledged that. We have won games, matches, competitions, and other awards these past few months. We are winners, and you have cheered us on through it all.

While we are out there cheering for each other, we know that you are cheering for us and for our school as a whole behind your desk. We are proud of our campus, our accomplishments, our recognitions, and our growth as a university. You’ve been the grandfather who reminds us that we have so much to be proud of and because of that, we should be thankful.

Thank you for constantly trying to do what is best for us. Sometimes we forget that you have our best interests at heart. We forget that there is so much more to a school than good food, good dorms, and a great parking spot. And yet, you still make decisions and propose ideas to help the students, the faculty, and the staff.

Thank you for giving us a place to grow. We are challenged; challenged to become better students, stronger young adults, and more passionate individuals. You’ve helped create an environment where we are safe to make mistakes and pushed harder than we would have imagined. We’re growing together.

Thank you for giving us a place to call home. We love our school. There is something special about coming back to campus every semester and something bittersweet when we leave at the end of a semester. There is a closeness on campus that is hard to describe. Our little college family holds a special place in our hearts, and we know it does in yours too. We know that our quaint and beautiful campus is home to you too; I mean you do live here all year long.

Thank you for giving us the opportunity to create meaningful relationships. At this home, we have found friends who love us and sometimes even bicker with us like siblings. We have found professors who encourage us to become our best selves so that He might be glorified, others might be taken care of, and that we ourselves can say we put everything we have into something.

We are thankful for our school, for our campus, and for your leadership. There’s no place quite like our school, and we thank you for making it that way.

Sincerely,

A typical, exhausted, proud, ambitious, content, thankful college student