Dear friends,

What can I even say to sum up how amazing this last year has been? So many crazy adventures, intense conversations, hilarious stories, and wonderful memories — all because of you guys. Setting foot on campus in August, I was utterly terrified. In high school, I was always the shy, quiet, introverted person; I had great friends, but I got incredibly nervous talking to people I didn’t know at all. Now here I was, surrounded by people I didn’t know at all. I was thrown into a whole new environment, with no idea how I was going to survive. I couldn’t have imagined how well my year would turn out. With some of you, we connected right away; and I can’t believe how easy it was to become so close to someone I’d only known for a few weeks. With others, it took a little bit longer for us to form a friendship, but I learned that good things come to those who wait, and I have some of my best friends because of that. We’re all so different, and yet we found each other, and I'm so happy we did.

The times we’ve spent together has made this year absolutely incredible. From exploring local parks and museums to 3 a.m. talks; from writing insanely difficult papers to just chilling after a long week, we’ve been through it all. I can always count on you guys to have deep existential discussions about life and humanity with me, or for us all to get together and laugh on Monday movie night. Our inside jokes and hilarious quotes have forever changed my vocabulary, for better or worse; and I’ll be telling our stories for years to come, even if we’re the only ones who find them funny. You all have helped me through some difficult times, and for that, I’m extremely grateful. Some of the best times of my life have also happened during our hangouts. Whether we first bonded over our odd professors or our terrible caf food, we’ve grown from simple classmates to a veritable family. Thank you for staying up with me to finish final papers, for reminding me to calm down when I’m stressed, for laughing at my punny jokes, for going with me to see new artsy plays, and for helping me grow into the self-assured and confident person I have always wanted to be. I know I wouldn’t be who I am now without you all.

Being away from you guys all summer will be so much harder than I could have imagined: how do you go from living five steps away to five hours away? I know we’ll all keep in touch, talking over our group messages, skyping, and seeing each other whenever possible; but it’s just not the same as living at school together. You all made my first year more incredible than I ever thought it would be. I’ll miss you all so much, and am already looking forward to next fall when we all get to crowd into one of our tiny rooms at school again and talk about our summers. I know nothing will have changed. I’m so glad I’ve gotten the opportunity to become so close with each and every one of you, and I can’t wait for all of the good times ahead of us.

Your friend,