College. It's the greatest time of your life. It's a time where you begin to become more independent, meet new people and learn more about yourself each day. After my first month of being at Kansas State University, I've found all of these facts about college to be true. I've slowly but surely learned to become an independent individual and continually learn more and more about myself each day. I've been overwhelmed with the amount of people that I've met within the past four weeks. I can tell that many of the people that I've met will be lifelong friends. It's a fantastic feeling. As I reflect back to my life before college, I remember those who used to constantly be a part of my life. My friends back home. More specifically, my five best friends from dance.

Growing up, I participated in various types of dance classes from the age of three to seventeen. Not only did dance help shape the person who I am today, but also my five best friends that I grew up dancing with: Sydney, Madison, Madeline, Alexis and Patricia. We all grew up together. We've shared the spotlight together. We've be in dance classes together. We've worn the same embarrassing costumes together. We've shared secrets together. We've spent countless hours at the dance studio together. They were the friends that truly knew me. They knew my past and all of the details of my life that helped shape me into the person that I am today. None of us went to the same high schools consistently which made it difficult to find time to grab dinner or see a movie. Every time we found the time to all see each other, we picked up right where we left off. A value cherished in friendships that has been around forever.

At the beginning of my senior year, I had no idea where I wanted to attend college, and neither did they. I knew I wanted to stay mildly close to home but they all made it clear that they wanted to move far away. I knew in advance that in one year, we'd all have to go our separate ways. The application process began and we'd all applied to different schools, all being hundreds of miles away. This was when it became real. I had been accepted and decided on attending Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas. One of my friends was accepted to Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee. Another was accepted to the University of Loyola Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. And the last one was accepted to Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. As we all announced our college plans, we all were overjoyed for one another. I was over the moon for us all, but I knew this was going to be difficult moving away from them.

The week before I moved in, all of us, including our moms, met for dinner at our favorite restaurant: The Melting Pot. It was a bittersweet dinner knowing that this would be our last time together for a long time. We talked about old dance stories and old slumber party inside jokes. We laughed about the hilarious and embarrassing dance costumes and the mom's reminisced about the old stories from when they were "dance moms." It was a delightful time. As the night drew to a close, we snapped some last minute photos, gave each other hugs and said our goodbyes.

I now have been away from my friends for six weeks. It's been wonderful having the opportunity to meet new people and make so many new friends but with our distance, I've learned that it's so important to never forget about those friends who helped shape you into the person that you are today. I can truly say I would not be the same person that I am today without them. They have always been there for me and for each other. Our group message is still constantly active. Whenever I have a rough day, I send them a text and immediately they brighten my day. For that, I thank you five; Sydney, Madison, Madeline, Alexis and Patricia.

The friends who grew up with you deserve a special respect. The ones who stuck by you shoulder to shoulder, in a time where nothing was certain, all life lays ahead, and every road led home. "The Wonder Years."