Dear friends,

Thanks for being there when I first came to college and didn’t know anyone. Nothing is scarier than living with strangers and feeling nervous that you might not fit in. Thank you for letting me live with you so I wouldn’t be homeless in a new state. Welcoming me into your house as a freshman not knowing how to live on my own wasn’t easy, but you stuck with me. Thanks for being the same size as me and expanding my closet by letting me wear all your clothes. Sometimes college gets tough and you feel as though as you want to give up, so thank you for believing in me and helping me get through my first year even when I didn’t feel like I could. Thank you for never letting me feel lonely by always hanging out with me at home, even if we just sit there and binge watch Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix for hours at a time. I definitely can’t forget all the times you made yourself dinner and made extras without asking because you knew I would want some. Living with a bunch of girls can get catty, so thank you for always sticking by my side and letting me lean on you when things get tough. Moving to a new state where you don’t know how to get to the local grocery store without a GPS is tough, so thanks for always driving me around until I got comfortable enough to drive my own car. Being a college student-athlete can become really stressful, so thank you for helping me with homework, staying on top of my work, and making sure I go to class. Having practices, games, and events early in the morning or late at night after a long day isn’t easy, so thanks for helping me with my hair, makeup, and making sure I’m always on time. Thanks for loving Wawa and Dunkin Donuts as much as me and for bringing me home iced coffee unexpectedly. Thank you for celebrating holidays with me like a real family when we aren’t able to travel home to our own families for them.

But most of all, thank you for helping me grow as an individual, student, roommate, and athlete. I can’t say thank you to you enough for treating me like family, like another sister, and being by my side through life. Thanks for being someone I can call family for the rest of my life.