This is a thank you to my girl friends, my lady loves, those who have my back no matter what. It often goes unsaid how necessary a girl gang actually is. They are your family from the moment you get off the bus, or move into a dorm room, or even when you hang up with your mom and need a hug that FaceTime hasn't mastered yet.

My best friends sometimes seem straight out of the Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood" music video: they are badasses and they will keep me honest. They are my own accountability managers and maybe the best thing about them is that they will confront me if I'm doing something wrong or if my perspective is out of whack.

So thank you. Thank you to my friends from high school, from college, from other countries: you have made me the woman I am today because more than anything, I want to make you all proud to call me your friend. I feel like you are my sisters, straight out of "Pride and Prejudice" or "Little Women," because you accept me as I am but you also see the potential of who I could be.

I've called you many a time in tears, or breathless from laughter, because you are the ones I want to run to no matter what is happening. You are my pillars of strength, and I'd like to think that maybe I can be your rock as well.

I cannot thank you enough. You make me brave. Courageous. Confident. You never make me feel like I am small or unimportant, or ugly, or fat: I am the best version of myself because of this lady gang that loves me unconditionally.

Ladies, you epitomize what it means to build other women up, making sure that we can all grow and prosper together. We are not jealous. We are not petty. We are supportive. And loyal. And we try to be helpful.

And because I don't say it enough, thank you for the honor of being a part of your lady gang too. You let me hear your worries and fears, and experience life alongside you which only makes me a better person.

Lastly, just a word of advice to the gals who haven't found their lady gangs yet. It is a necessity. Do not be afraid of sharing your life with someone, of letting them pull you out of dark places, and of shining the helpful and figurative flashlight on them in return. Like the phrase "High School Musical" coined, we are all in this together. And the sooner we all learn that, the better we can become one team that can face anything together.

Girls, friends, you are not a burden. Don't stop looking for your girl gang because I promise you, once you find them, once you carry them with you throughout every phase of your life, you'll realize that nothing could be more worth it.