I remember the chaos of move in day like it was yesterday... some people were pushing carts filled to the brim, others were waiting for elevators, and still others were teary-eyed and saying goodbye to their family until parents weekend. It seems impossible, then, that I have completed my freshman year of college, yet that's exactly what has happened.

This first year of school was a rollercoaster that nothing and no one could have prepared me for. It was nothing like I pictured my freshman year to be like, but everything I actually needed it to be. The countless experiences I have gone through have taught me so much about me, other people, and really life in general. I feel as if I have taken a step toward becoming the person that I always wanted to be. I allowed myself to branch out by meeting new people and doing things that I never, in my wildest imagination, would have allowed myself to do. This year has given me a preview of what the next three years and my whole life could be like, and I've never been happier.

As I look back on these hilarious and happy memories I've made, I realize there are truly no words to express how thankful I am to the people who made this year so amazing. I will never be able to express my eternal gratitude to my parents for allowing me to have this experience. Without them I never would have met my best friends. I also wish I could convey my love and thanks to every one of my amazing and talented friends. You made going to a school far from home bearable by being my new family. I still have no idea why you stuck around after you figured out how weird I was, but you're stuck with me now and I couldn't be more blessed. Lastly, there is absolutely no way to state how lucky I was to have my roommate become my best friend. Late nights into early mornings... you were always there and our adventures were my favorite part of freshman year.

This has been the best year of my life, and I can't wait to watch a whole new group of freshman experience the highs and lows that I did. To all of the seniors out there: please know that college is on a completely different level than high school. You're about to start the journey of a lifetime and cherish every minute of it. Come August, I can't wait to continue that journey into sophomore year and make even more questionable decisions that I'll look back on with friends for years to come.

So, hail to freshman year! Hail to the countless friendships I made with the greatest people I could have ever asked for! Hail to three more years! Hail to Pitt, always.