My relationship with my brother, Will, is one that can't really be put into words. It started off in 2002 when he was born. I wanted a sister but got a brother instead. I cried and promptly asked if I could have a pony instead of having a little brother.

Way back when we lived in St. Louis.

Fast forward almost 15 years: I'm getting ready to start a new chapter in my life and so is he. He is about to start his freshman year of high school. He will be charting new territory at a different high school than where I graduated.

Let me tell you, my brother is amazing. He is going to an arts Magnet School here in Savannah. The Savannah Arts Academy is ranked the third best public high school in the state of Georgia. He will be playing trombone and is already first chair in his band. Besides playing in the school band he plays in the youth orchestra that we have both been a part of since we moved to Savannah. I couldn’t be any prouder of everything he has already accomplished. He picks up and learns to play new instruments when he gets bored. He is already a better musician than I am.

Musical abilities aside, Will is also one of the kindest and sweetest people you will ever meet. He is one of the most empathetic people I know and will always meet you at a low point in means to help you feel better.

On our mission trip to Jamaica last summer.

Will also has the perfect amount of my dad in him so he knows when to call me out and get me to calm down. We were driving to school on the last day of my IB exams and I hit and killed a squirrel. After a crazy long month of IB exams, I was exhausted and had been up most of the night studying for my Spanish exam. So of course, after killing the squirrel I broke down and started crying. My brother of course just turned to me and said, "Oh my gosh, stop crying it's just a squirrel. Get over it."

At our school's field day.

I think one of the reasons Will and I get along so well is our ability to communicate effectively. Of course, it hasn’t always been so easy but through the different challenges that our family has been through over the past five years, we have become even closer. In those times, you really start to see exactly which friends you can rely on, and in those hard times we both found ourselves with significantly less friends than we thought we had. As much as I hated being in that situation, what I hated even more was seeing my brother in the exact same position. So, we turned to each other for support.

Will is my best friend, hands down. He is the one guy I know I can always count on. He is protective, creative, sensitive, and smarter and wiser than anyone else his age. He will always be my favorite coffee date and my biggest supporter.

Last spring break, visiting Fernandina Beach, Florida, where we grew up.