As I look back on my freshman year, "thank you" is not the first phrase that comes to mind. I had a really rough start which unfortunately progressed throughout the entire year, but still I feel as if I owe some sort of gratitude to the experience I have had. I would love to be able to erase this year entirely and pretend it never happened, but given the opportunity, I don't think I would trade this year for anything.

The struggles that I have endured and overcome throughout my freshman year have taught me more about myself than all thirteen years of schooling ever could. I found out the hard way that life really sucks sometimes and it is by no means fair, but that you need to learn to roll with the punches and keep surging on. Though this is far from easy, you have to believe in yourself and believe that you deserve better than this to keep up the motivation to carry on.

Thank you to the many changes that this college transition brought along with it. You taught me to become comfortable with being uncomfortable. The new environment, new people, new classes, and distance from everything I've ever known allowed me to adapt in ways I never thought I could and learn that flexibility is key.

Thank you to the many challenges I have faced over this year. You have allowed me to grow as a person. I now know that if I could survive this year, I can do anything. Thank you for giving me the aversion I needed to realize I had the strength to overcome it all along.

Thank you to the courses that pushed my knowledge and patients to its limits. You made me see the world in a whole new light and have uncovered passions of mine I never knew I had.

Thank you to the professors that were always there for me whenever I needed them. I could always rely on you to help me whether I realized I needed guidance or not. I have learned so much from you and appreciate all you have done for not only me, but the institution at large.

Thank you to my sister for being the best senior a freshman could ask for and a familiar face in all of this uncertainty. You kept me sane throughout the year and I never could have survived it without you.

Most of all, thank you to my parents for seeing all these things in me that I never could. Though we were physically farther apart than we had ever been, I have never felt so close to you and so thankful to be able to depend on you while we fought through this year.

I never really believed that good things could come of bad, but this year was living proof. While it was the hardest year of my life, I also learned the most about myself. So always try to look on the bright side, to look at your progress, to look at your growth. It turns out you've gained a lot, even when you feel as if you've lost so much.