First off, I'm sorry. I'm sorry I don't come around. I'm sorry our interactions aren't anything more than liking each other's Facebook posts and a text once a year on your birthday, if you're lucky. I'm sorry we made so many promises to each other, then broke them.

I'm also sorry you're still there. I'm sorry that you couldn't get out, even if you wanted to. The world is such a big place, and that town has very little for people like us. We have dreams, aspirations, goals. I couldn't grow there anymore, and I'm sorry. Maybe you can do something there. Do something for that town that made us.

But I'm not sorry for how far I've gone. I'm finishing my bachelors degree in May. I'm going places, doing things, and making an impact larger than myself. I'll always love my roots, and all of you that are a part of them.

We may not all be best friends. With a graduating class of 161, we all knew each other, yes. But does this mean we were all super close? Absolutely not. But the thing that has changed, for myself at least, is that I want the best for every single one of you. I want you all to do great things, change lives, and strive to be the best of the best. I want us to put ourselves on the map.

I want us to stand up someday and commend our home. The place that had four middle schools put into one high school and forced our two adjoining towns to be friends. The town that had one small park, and that's where everyone went for prom and homecoming pictures, the one that drove tractors to school once a year. The town that shaped us into who we are as people. The stubborn, hard-working people that will one day shape the world.

We are all destined for greatness, this has never been questioned. But I'm sorry we've taken different paths in life. That we all did so many different things and that ultimately was what ended our friendships. The problem here is it makes you wonder why you were all so close in the first place.

I cherish every single person I've ever met. They've all impacted my life, some more than others. But the people from my hometown, they're the most important. They're the ones I grew up with, the ones who cheered by my side at Friday night football games, the ones who shaped me into who I am now.

Some of the most influential people I've ever met are from home. The teachers, my mentors, the people who helped get me to where I am today (currently procrastinating writing my final paper). But in all seriousness, thank you.

Thank you for pushing me when I needed it. For building me up, and even for tearing me down. Thank you for showing me that the world is hard and life isn't fair at a young age so I wasn't scared when i went off into the real world and was on my own for the first time. Thank you for inspiring me to go places and do things. Thank you for still feeling like home even after I've been gone for so long.

"Chase your dreams but always know the road that will lead you home again." -Tim McGraw