In less than two weeks, I will be home for the summer, freshman year — done.

The idea of all papers, all finals, all assignments finally being over sends me over the moon. However, part of me is very sad. I've come to love this little campus. I've come to love the fact that no matter where you are on campus, there is always a smiling face.

In the past eight months, I have learned more about the world and about myself than the rest of my19 years combined.

So Luther, here's to you.

Thank you for introducing me to the best people I have ever met.

You blessed me with a friend group that's big enough to become its own baseball team — a friend group that has deep talks about life and the future over various combinations of fries, chips, hummus, pasta, and pizza at dinner every night.

Thank you for showing me that stereotypes and stigmas don't have to be my reality.

The discussions at Luther surrounding racism, sexism, and mental health have inspired me beyond belief. Thank you for letting me live in a community where it is okay to tell people that your depression is getting worse or that you're frustrated with the inequality in our country.

Thank you for the music we make here.

It's more than music. In high school, I was told that I would never again be a part of a choir that was as close-knit as the high school choir. I'm happy to report that this is untrue. Our first-year women's choir, Aurora, is made up of the most amazing women I have ever had the pleasure to sing with. Thank you for letting us make music and memories together.

And finally, thank you for letting me be who I am.

I have no shame here. I can be completely myself with no fear of judgment or retribution. In high school, I wrote a paper about feminism and I faced a lot of judgment from my peers for doing so. Here, opinions, liberal and conservative, are listened to and respected. I feel the fiery little girl that I thought I had to repress at an early age to "fit in" coming up from underneath the surface. Thank you for teaching me that being loud, bold, and unafraid is completely and totally okay.

Soli Deo Gloria!