Dear Ragin ' Cajun Women’s Choir,

Never in a million years did I expect to walk through the doors of room 153 and meet so many remarkable people. I met women who were from near and afar, a professor or (A.K.A. a choir commander) who never once stopped believing in my potential, and choral grad students who are kick butt at what they do. Not all heroes wear capes! Moreover, all of you musicians shaped my life. Looking back now that I’m a Sophomore, it’s unbelievable how far I’ve come. Looking at the past, I see myself as a girl who walked into Angelle Hall broken, I see a girl who struggled to believe in herself and a girl who had potential, but didn’t quite know how to find it. I can now say things have changed because one day, it all clicked for me. One day the quiet girl who used to lip sing started singing and she stopped being so hard on herself. All because you loved me unconditionally.

Thank you to all the women in this group who offered me encouragement. Kristen, Tia, Courtney, Lindy, Michelle, and Breanah, you are the inspiration squad that keeps me going daily. I had moments this semester where I stopped believing in my potential and you girls were always there to encourage me along the way. There were days where my depression got the best of me, but you willingly cheered me on. You even helped me wipe my running mascara that made me look like a raccoon on those hard days that I couldn’t cope with. You are more than lifelong friends. You girls are my family and I can never ever repay you for that. All of you showed me what it felt like to feel alive again. You guided me along the way to get to ULL, even gave me a few good laughs along the way! Yes, Kristen, especially you. I could never forget our, " Mr. Plummer I am not talking in class, Kristen legally has a seeing problem" or our " William Floyd Plummer" inside jokes. Needless to say, you have impacted me greatly!

Thank you to Mr. Plummer. Oh, did I say Mr.? Yi, he’s a Dr. now! You have been my biggest cheerleader in getting me here at ULL. You encouraged me even when my parents wouldn’t because of my major I’m pursuing. As a professor, you have given me the tough love I needed to succeed. You sir never have given up on me! Even when I’m sometimes being a royal pain in the butt. Which as we all know, happens quite frequently. Thank you for making me realize I had and have potential. Thank you for all your sayings like, “wring that out like a dishrag” and “this reminds me of the time I saw spray paint on a dumpster”. I could never repay you for your inspiration. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving us all a good laugh and never getting mad at the memes we make of you. You are the best choir commander there is. I know these are a lot of thank you but you truly deserve every single one of them.

This one...

and this one...

Finally, this one.

Thank your grad students for what you do daily. Logan, Hasmig, Adam, you don’t understand how much you truly have inspired me. Throughout women’s, I’ve seen you all struggle and have seen how you picked yourself back up. You sacrificed a lot for us and I am truly thankful. I’ve seen the days where you struggled to get us to do what you wanted. I know sometimes it feels like pulling teeth during rehearsals but please know we love you. Logan thanks for being the first friend in Women’s Choir with me. Also, thank you for sharing your Kit Kat's with me! Hasmig, you are all around a wonderful human being and director. There aren’t many directors that I can connect with, but you’re one of them. I will surely miss your smile. Adam, thank you for stepping in and owning it. You are an all around a rock star when it comes to keeping us on track. Finally thank you, for always wearing the butterfly stickers we slap on you. It's greatly appreciated by all of us.

We put the "dys" in dysfunctional, but nevertheless, we are still family. We fight and fuss sometimes but it is always out of the love we have for one another. There aren't many university women choruses like ourselves if you think about it. We've created something that no one can destroy. We have made a bond that will last for forever.

P.S. All outsiders reading this, we actually exist. ULL does have a music building ya know? Come to our concerts, you won't regret it. Do it, you know you want to.

Much love,

Amber DiMarco