I wanted to take this opportunity to acknowledge how grateful I am for everything that you, my lovely parents, have done for me. I know that I wasn’t the easiest child to raise and I certainly have my quirks, but y’all seemed to do just fine. So, I just wanted to say thank you.

Thank you for raising me to be respectful of people from all walks of life. You taught me that everyone, no matter how much we differ from each other, deserves respect and kindness. In today's society, this has become extremely important, and I am incredibly grateful that I learned this at such a young age.

Thank you for supporting even my wildest of dreams. Whether it was moving across the country to attend college or helping me prepare for job interviews, you never once told me I couldn’t do it. You never doubted me (out loud, at least), and y’all are certainly the reason that I’ve been able to accomplish what I have at this point.

Thank you for helping me through all of my pain. You listened to me complain about my many ailments for so many years, and I know that must have been agonizing. I’m so appreciative of your support and encouragement during my times of need. It would have been nearly impossible to keep my head up and a smile on my face without you.

And, while we’re at it, thank you for paying for my seemingly endless medical bills. I’m sure that spending so much time in doctors’ offices wasn’t your dream for me, but somehow we made it work.

Thank you for having such high expectations. I grew up knowing that I shouldn’t let y’all down, so I always worked to be the best at what I did. Whether you knew it or not, I never wanted you to see me fail at anything.

Thank you for teaching us the importance of siblings. Even after our worst fights, you were always there to remind us that we would need each other in the future. You taught us that family is incredibly important and that a disagreement isn’t a good enough reason to abandon each other.

Thank you for driving places when I don’t feel like it. That’s a real life-saver.

Thank you for providing me with an abundance of opportunities while I was growing up. From vacations to club sports, if there was something I wanted to do, y’all did your best to make it happen. I’ll be forever grateful for the time that I spent playing sports, and I’ll certainly never forget our many family vacations.

Thank you for showing me the importance of fitness. Exercise is such a huge part of my life now, and I’m glad we get to share the joys of working out together from time to time.

Thank you for disciplining me and teaching me how to behave properly. This is a HUGE one. I seriously can’t thank you enough. I mean, some people are hooligans.

Thank you for showing me all of the best movies. The American President? Now, that’s a gem.

Thank you for encouraging me to pursue my passions. From changing my second major to Italian Studies to teaching myself how to crochet, you were always supportive of the things that I wanted to do. Thanks for never squashing my crazy ideas.

Most importantly, thank you for teaching me that it’s okay to be myself. Even with all of my flaws and quirks, y’all taught me to be true to myself. I’m still working on fully grasping this concept, but I’ll get there someday. Thank you for raising me to be a strong, independent person. Y'all truly have no idea how much you mean to me.