Dear MANPO Classmates,

We did it -- We are just one presentation away from having our master’s degrees and finishing up a year-long journey. Therefore, I thought I would write a letter to thank you to the people who were there for me (and each other) through it all.

First and foremost, thank you for being there. Thank you for being not only my cheerleaders but cheerleaders for one another. I am so grateful to y’all for every encouraging word spoken before a nerve-wracking presentation or during a stressful week. Thank you for your collaboration. I always felt that some of the best advice that I received about projects came from y’all. Thank you for suggesting coffee meetings. Thank you for all of our group messages. Thank you for carpool rides. Thank you for always being the first to respond/share an event my internship placement is putting on. Thank you for reading papers and watching slideshows before they were presented. Thank you for pushing me to do my best. Thank you for showing me your version of Athens. Thank you for accepting me for who I am. Thank you for challenging me. Thank you for sharing your ideas and listening to mine. Thank you for putting life in perspective when I’m upset and overwhelmed. Thank you for never thinking my dreams were unattainable and demonstrating to me that determination is one of the most important personality traits you can possess. Thank you for being up late at night/early in the morning when I have questions that need answers. Thank you for listening to my wedding happiness and complaints and sitting through countless pictures of wedding dresses, bridesmaid dresses, and engagement pictures. Thank you for saying the easy things I want to hear and the tough ones that I don’t want to hear. Thank you for everything I have ever forgotten to thank you for (and I know there is much more that I am forgetting to mention).

I know that every moment of our program has not been rainbows and butterflies, but I am glad that we were able to endure together. I am glad that we banded together to be there for each other and support one another in all that we were working towards. I feel so blessed to have been a small part of this cohort.

Thank you all -- without you and I truly would not be where I am today. I am forever grateful that we were able to share this experience together and that I have had the opportunity to learn from each and every one of you. You are all extremely inspiring people and I cannot wait to see where life takes you and what you will accomplish along the way. I know that you are all going to do big things!

Now we are all headed off into the real world. (But I still expect group dinners and drinks whenever possible.)

Thank you for everything,

Gabby