Here I am, writing this article in bed right before I go to study for my last two finals, and I am stressed. I hold myself to such a high standard and expect the best. I put so much pressure on myself to not only do well, but also because I want to make my parents proud. I think about all the sacrifices my parents have made to allow me to attend such an amazing school, and I want them to know that it's all worth it.

College is hard. The classes are hard, the exams are hard, everything is just...hard. For whatever reason, I wasn't really expecting it. I guess I expected to thrive without having to put a lot of effort in, like I did in high school. That's just not how college works, and it's really unfortunate that it's taken my freshman year for me to figure it out.

My parents are amazing, though. They're the best support system I could ever have. I've called both of them in the last 12 hours, crying about how stressed I am about my exams and how worried I am about having a GPA I could be proud to bring home to them. Both of them just answered with such understanding and support that it actually made me cry harder knowing that my parents are proud of me with whatever I do in my life.

I can't even begin to thank my parents enough for the things they do for me. Thank you for always being there to lift me back up when I feel like I'm disappointing you, and for saying that disappointing you could never be possible. Thank you for always supporting me, especially when I was struggling and thinking about switching my major. Thank you for always letting me know that you're here for me, because being away from home gets harder every day.

I remember writing an article over winter break about how excited I was to go back to school, but at this moment, all I can think about is finally getting home.

I love you both so much, and thank you.