With the beginning of another school year quickly approaching, I find myself thinking about the relationships I will potentially build with my new professors and reminiscing on those I made with a handful of teachers throughout my earlier years of school. That being said, I wanted to take a moment to thank those who taught me what I know today and who have helped shape me into the person I am and continue to strive to be.

Thank you to those who had no choice but to teach me but made the decision to make sure I succeeded in whatever I did. From 6th grade until senior year, I was constantly blessed with teachers who wanted to make a difference in their students' lives. I am here to say that I am one of those students.

To make a very long list short, some key lessons I learned from my favorite teachers were learning to love reading for fun, gaining the confidence to write short stories and a short film, finally being able to understand math (or at least not feeling ashamed when I needed to ask for help), and for the endless laughs we shared during our time together.

I will never forget the love you all had for your students and the love I still have for all of you. There are so many of you who helped me through some of the toughest years of my life after my brother passed away right in the middle of my high school career. Thank you to those who let me sit in their empty classrooms during their personal breaks to let me cry, process my emotions, and heal.

Thank you to those who let me come to them with typical high school problems of "he said, she said" that hurt my feelings, relationship problems, and complaining about literally anything that was an inconvenience to me at the time. Whether you knew it then or not, each of your classrooms was like a little sanctuary for me. I always felt safe and understood when I was seated within those four walls of your room.

Thank you to those who I still have a special connection to, whether it's sharing funny pictures on Facebook, spending time together when I visit Delsea, or when we happen to see each other in public. I love each and every one of you and will never be able to thank you enough for everything you've done for me.

Your students this year and for years to come don't realize how lucky they are.