As I move towards my twenties and out of my teens, I've become much more retrospective.

Looking back on my childhood, I can't help but think about the people who have influenced me and, even, how I've influenced others. I've been thinking a lot about all the people I've been friends with; from the ones I lost to the ones I keep in contact with, this is for you.

I used to be very shy, something you'd never suspect if you didn't grow up with me. I used to hide a lot, growing up. I hung out with family friends at my private school mostly because I wasn't ready to meet other people. The friends that I made here, I gradually moved apart from. I see them still, and I enjoy hearing what they're up to, but we're all different people now and everything changed after 1st grade when I moved schools. These friends give me comfort and remind me of my childhood, and it's always a pleasure to reunite with them.

My new school was a public one, I was terrified. On the first day, I ran into a girl who was walking the direction opposite me in the hallway -- and we became best friends. While we parted ways later in life, she taught me how to be bold, how to stand out and be fearless, and I owe her for that.

Here, I would also meet my current best friend, who is smart and lovely and who has taught me to speak my real thoughts and follow where my instincts lead me. Despite us going to different schools in different cities, we keep in touch daily and I can't explain the feeling of having someone who's known you forever by your side. To her, I owe her my eternal gratitude for being there for me through all my ups and downs.

In middle school, I was able to meet even more people, and I learned that I hate playing sports, math, and locker rooms but I absolutely love theatre, history, and writing. I made friends through those classes and because of them I got braver.

No one would remember that girl who would hide behind her mother when things got scary, I was fearless, all thanks to who I was surrounding myself with.

My middle school friends were kind and supportive, and without them, my middle school experience would've been unimaginable (I was a band kid with braces going through puberty --- needless to say, it was rough already).

In high school, I dove straight into theatre and AP classes and I made friends with people on the same academic level as me. We all have drive running through our veins, pushing us to succeed academically and we put high amounts of stress onto nobody but ourselves.

These friends are doing amazing things at incredible schools, and seeing them succeed only brings me happiness because we'll always be bonded due to the AP Test Stress. I truly found a family in theatre class.

The friends I made there will be forever in my heart, as I watch them grow up and flourish in whatever avenue (whether it be theatre or unrelated) they pursue.

We've all cried together, stressed about memorizing lines together, and laughed until our sides hurt while waiting backstage (more likely, though, most of us have had to kiss each other/dated each other -- it's an incestual, yet lovely, kind of family).

Here, I met my forever-friends, who I love endlessly and who I just love seeing when we're all home. To them, I owe my happiness.

In college, I've made very good friends in my major who challenge my viewpoints and try to pull apart my thought process. Political Science is a challenging major because every day something will throw you off balance and make you question your beliefs.

You come into college thinking one way, and you come out either with a new point of view or strengthened beliefs. Either way, you come out different.

These friends have made me more inquisitive and have inspired me to be more open about my political viewpoints. I've befriended people who aren't political and/or differ from me politically, and I love them just the same. They've taught me that life is more than politics (I do, however, inform them of new political updates but more in a fact-based manner), and I've just had so much fun with them.

I don't know where life will take us all. In my mind, we're all going to head our separate ways after college. Some of us will leave without saying goodbye, some of us will stick around for a while, and others we will always be in touch with.

Through all the times in my life in which I've made new friends, I always reflected upon the old. Life is ever-changing and diverse and you can never assume what lays ahead but I am nothing but grateful for all the people I've been lucky to call my friends. They've all taught me different lessons, unique to each of their personalities, and those are the things I will always cherish.

My best to you all, each one of you deserves a great, beautiful, surprising life. Thank you for being there for me when you were and for making me who I am today. To you all, I owe my heart.