I spent a long time not knowing if I would make friends in college like the ones I had in high school.

Before coming to UMass, all of my friends were the same ones I had since I was six years old; our relationships were based on things like the sharing of crayons, or sitting next to each other at snack time. Eventually, this grew into meaningful friendships that I could never have lived without.

Leaving my friends from home this past summer broke my heart. Knowing that I wouldn’t see their smiling faces each and every day, or have them just five minutes down the road was a really scary thought, because without my parents, sister, or friends I didn’t know who I would go to when I needed someone to talk to or be with. Arriving at UMass though, I found that the perfect people can sometimes be just two doors down, or maybe even on the other side of your own room, and have since encountered friends that I am now infinitely thankful to have.

To my college friends: you have helped me realize that I am not alone with my problems and worries; that red spot on my face probably doesn’t mean I’m dying, and sometimes a trip to the cupcake bar is all I really need. You have helped me with homework, indulged at the dining hall with me, watched basketball and hockey games, and movies WAY past bedtime with me. You have listened to every annoying rant I’ve had on any given day (emphasis on that last one, because it happens a lot). We’ve gone shopping, exchanged ugly Snapchats, jammed, hardcore to every song that comes on Spotify, whether walking on the sidewalk or standing in the elevator, and made plans to trek to each other’s’ houses during break. You have allowed me to see that you can find wonderful friends in college, and that you don’t need to have known people forever to understand their quirks and the uniqueness of their personalities.

For this I say thank you. Thank you for not thinking I’m too weird when I freak out about dogs on campus as much as I do, or when I want to eat ice cream every day. Thank you for the group chat, the endless tags I get on Facebook of cute dog videos or of relatable college student memes. Thank you for the finsta, for not judging me (at least out loud) when I come to the dinner table with pasta and chocolate milk, again, and for motivating and understanding me in a way I didn’t think most people really could. Thank you for telling me honestly when my outfit looks bad or if the little juice stain on my shirt is that noticeable, and also for boosting me up and telling me that I actually look really put together, on the rare occasion that I do. Thank you for being polite, respectful, helpful, kind, and for having beautiful souls, because a lot of people don’t nowadays. Thank you for letting me be crazy with you, for loving my fish, Shark, just as much as I do, for opening yourselves up to me, and for letting me be there for you through your stresses and “major rips,” which, as we all know, happen A LOT.

Thank you for loving and accepting me just the way that I am, and for helping me to continue to grow into the person I want to be. For this, not only do I thank you, but I love you all.