Dear freshman year of college,

As this semester and school year comes to a close, I would like to thank you. I want to thank you for everything that you've been: exciting, scary, difficult, and exhausting. You've taught me how to do so many things: have patience, procrastinate, run off of five hours of sleep, make time for that quick meal at Chipotle (trust me, there is always time), and juggle academics while playing a collegiate-level sport. But most importantly, you've helped me mature as a young adult, and that is what I am most thankful for. You have helped me grow more in the past nine months than I could have ever imagined, and for that I will be forever grateful.

School is hard. There's no other way to say it. The workload that I have carried in college is unlike anything that I have ever experienced. You either sink or you swim. There is no in-between. You've taught me how to prioritize and manage my time more effectively...or at least attempt to. It's so easy to get caught up in the excitement of being a college student. As a freshman, I've tried to balance out school and sports and social events, and let me tell you - it's not easy. You've helped me begin to realize that while it is fun to go out and spend time with friends, school comes first. So, thank you, freshman year of college, for challenging me to become a better student and understand where my priorities lie.

Moving a thousand miles away from home was one of the toughest - if not the toughest - things that I have ever had to do. My family is my rock; I never thought that I would be able to love anyone or any place as much as my family and my hometown. You proved me wrong. My new 'home away from home' is fantastic, and I can't imagine a better place for me to live. Because of you, I also have had the pleasure of meeting some of the greatest, most genuine people that I have ever come across. I consider my new friends (and teammates, of course) my family, and I can't imagine my life without them. I still miss my family, but the friends that I've made help me cope with my homesickness. The people that I have met my freshman year of college have helped shape and mold me into a stronger, smarter, and overall better person than I was nine months ago. So, thank you, freshman year of college, for giving me the greatest friends in the entire world.

You truly have been a year to remember. I never imagined that my freshman year would entail what it has, but I am thankful for every single thing that has happened that has led me to where I am today.

Thank you, freshman year of college, for being better than I could have ever imagined you to be.

If sophomore year is anything like you were, I'm ecstatic for what our future holds.

Thanks again,

Hailey Wilson