For many of us, high school is a time of great growth and discovery of oneself. For some, it's a time to goof around and make friends, and for others it might have been a very trying experience in their lives that they never want to look back on. For me, high school was like any other experience, with times of trial and times of joy. Like many experiences, there were some great parts, just like there were parts that will haunt me for the rest of my life. Even so, high school taught me many things, and for that, the experience of high school deserves some thank you's:

Thank you for the wild nights where I didn't seem to have a care in the world. Those nights where you drive with the windows down with a bunch of your friends and you blast music because admit it, underneath it all, you are one of those annoying people who just wants to have fun and be free.

Thank you for introducing me to some of the best people on this earth. Even if I no longer talk to them, they made the high school stretch just that much better.

Thank you for the school lunch table. The lunch break was one of my favorite times- getting a big group together and complaining about our most hated teacher or laughing when one of us did something stupid, or enjoying the latest gossip, kept me sane.

Thank you for introducing me to writing, because I would have really been screwed if I hadn't have found it. And for the professor who did so, thank you for believing in me when no one else did.

Thank you for teaching me that life isn't always fair, even when I believe it should be.

Thank you for letting me find friends in odd places. I was never one to step outside of my comfort zone, let alone find people who I could relate to and become such close friends with. Especially in sports- days spent under the sun playing, even though I wasn't very good at it, make me smile to this day.

Thank you for the group, those people who were always by my side, where I knew exactly who to sit with in the gym or in the lunchroom.

Thank you for the people who sometimes lost their way, and who never find it again. Sometimes, commonality and love are not enough to sustain a friendship, and it's a hard truth we must all face. Just because you love them doesn't mean they're good for you, or you're good for them.

Thank you for teaching me family isn't just about blood, but about the time invested and how much your care for one another. I have more family than I knew.

Thank you for making me believe in small acts of kindness, even if it's just a "hello" in the hallways or a hug when I most need it.

Thank you for teaching me that just because you love someone, doesn't mean that you should be involved in each others lives.

Thank you for teaching me that just because someone hurts you, doesn't mean you need to hurt them back. Every decision is a choice made, and it will have consequences.

Thank you for class discussion. I learned more about my peers more in twenty minutes than I had in years just from asking questions.

Thank you for teaching me that I am never truly alone. Some people have hearts of gold, while others do not, and it's my job and right to decide which are involved in my life.

Thank you for teaching me that it's okay to not have people in my life, and the strength to know when to let people go, even if it's hard.

But most of all, thank you for the good and bad of high school. It was truly an adventure, and I wouldn't trade it for the world.