My friend once told me that we become who we are because of the people we meet along life’s journey, that every person we are close to lends us a quality we may otherwise never have picked up. Now, the more that people come and go from my life, the more I realize how important their role was in shaping me into the person I now am. So to all these people, I want to say thank you. Thank you for making me who I am today.
To my younger sister, thanks for making me competitive and compassionate.
You’ve taught me that best friends fight, but you should never leave a phone call without an “I love you.” You’ve made me responsible and you’ve made me carefree. Most of all, you’ve made me a loyal family member and a loyal friend.
To my teachers and coaches, thank you for helping me become ambitious and passionate.
Thank you for being a mentor to me and guiding me down my own path to success. You’ve shown me that hard work, sweat and dedication really do pay off and cheered me on every step of the way.
To the person who treated me like I wasn’t good enough, thanks for raising my f***ing standards.
Need I say more?
To my old best friend, thank you for my love of music and my adventurous soul.
I’m truly a diversified music lover thanks to you. You helped me open my mind not only to new music but new experiences as well. From sneaking out to stealing a shot from your parent’s liquor cabinet, you helped me develop a sense of curiosity and fun.
To my new best friend, thank you for helping me keep strong morals.
I cannot thank you enough for always answering the phone and listening to whatever crazy idea I conjured up that week. You help me keep my moral compass strong and my personal values in check and don’t hesitate to tell me I’m wrong.
And to my parents, thank you for allowing me to grow into who I wanted to become.
Thanks for supporting me in every crazy endeavor I’ve ever pursued, never batting an eye at the insane ideas I come up with, but rather supporting them wholeheartedly. You never forced me to be anyone I wasn’t, instead encouraging me to become the person I truly wanted to become.
So to everyone who has been or is in my life, thank you. I have been become a collage of all of who have been closest to me and continue to learn and grow from these people.
Oh, and in the words of almost Drake, “Everyone I’m not, made me everything I am.”
