As I am approaching my senior year in college, I honestly can't believe it's here. Whenever someone would ask me, "what are you doing after college?" I would laugh and say, "well that's a long way away, so I have time to think about it." Well, that "long way away" has quickly turned into one short year. As I look back at my time in high school and my time at Millsaps one thing keeps popping into my mind, "how on Earth did I make it this far?" And the one consistent answer that keeps entering my mind is my parents. Even though we don’t always see eye to eye, I know for a fact that I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for their love and support.

1. Thank you for pushing me

I know that I have not always been the most focused student or the hardest worker but thank you for pushing me to work harder and be more productive. As I look back to my years in high school the one thing that sticks out is how hard my parents pushed me. Honestly I never thought that I would ever need to work that hard and that they just wanted me to work super hard. I can say that if they had not pushed me that hard in high school then I wouldn’t have been able to enter college with the work ethic they had taught me and then continued to expand those skills so I would be able to excel in my classes.

2. Thank you for supporting me

In middle school and high school I was super involved. From tennis to cheer to dance to quizbowl or mock trial I probably had something to do with it. Thank you for supporting me through all of these activities and encouraging me to do more and to stay busy. Thank you for never telling me that I wasn’t allowed to do something because I was already involved in too much, instead thank you for telling me that I could do it as long as I worked hard at it. Even today, thank you for supporting me in every activity I randomly decide to pick up.

3. Thank you for encouraging me to be involved

Even beyond the support that my parents have given me they taught me to have the courage to try new things. Even if I was nervous my parents have always encouraged me to get outside of my comfort zone and to try things that I may not have ever thought about doing. I truly appreciate that they did this because now, even when I get nervous about going somewhere or joining an activity I just remember the one piece of advice they always give me before I start something new, “Be yourself and work hard. Be kind to others and listen to them before making a final choice.”

4. Thank you for treating my friends as your own

Whenever I mention my friends to my parents they quickly ask how they are doing, what’s going on in their lives, and if they want to come over for dinner or to swim. They love having my friends over to the house not just because it makes me happy but also because they know that most of my friends live hours away and would love to get off campus. My friends also love my parents; anytime I say my parents are doing something or even mention their names, the first thing out of most of my friends’ mouths are “OMG I love your parents" or "I love Mrs. Monica and RayRay."

5. Thank you for being my parents

I mean let’s face it, you're kind of stuck with me, and at this point have no other choice except to be my parents. But in all seriousness, thank you for being my parents and my friends. Sure we can joke around or act goofy together, but when it boils down to it thank you for making me do the right thing, thank you for being there for me, and even if I get mad thank you for putting your foot down and having control in my life. Because as much as I hate to say it, sometimes no matter what I want you know what’s best for me, and in the end I couldn’t be more thankful to you for making me do what’s best for me.