I turned 21-years-old on June 26th, 2019. The "big" birthday. I didn't go out the night before, I spent it at work, and treated myself to a zen couple days down the shore with friends. When I turned twenty, I had these crazy plans for my twenty-first birthday, and as I matured, those plans became smaller and smaller.

Twenty was by far my most difficult year, but it was the most rewarding. I found out who I really am, as a friend, a sister, an employee, a student, a daughter, and a girlfriend. I watched the people around me change, and it took me a while to recognize the change in myself as well.

If you would have told me at nineteen, that after my twentieth birthday, I would step into the modeling industry, start a new major, work three jobs, and be dating the most amazing man, I would have told you that you were crazy.

Now, I see that the alarms at three in the morning, tears in the library, and the fear of missing out were so insignificant compared to the growth I made in one year.

At twenty, I made peace with myself. I stopped feeling ugly, I stopped feeling out of place, and compliments stopped making me uncomfortable. I felt complete having the same friends my entire life; I didn't feel obligated to have a huge group of friends.

So, I want to say thank you, to the twentieth year of my life, for pushing me out of my comfort zone, for letting the past stay in the past, and for showing me how beautiful life could be. Here's to twenty-one.