As a 19-year-old sophomore in college living hours away from my family and hometown, as well as focusing on starting the next chapter in my life and pursuing a lifelong career, I’d have to say that I have a lot on my shoulders. Like most college students, I often feel overwhelmed by the pressure of having the future of my life in my own hands, with no one guiding me a specific direction or telling me what I should do. At 19, the world is at my fingertips, yet I don’t even know for sure what exactly it is that I want to do with it. However, having the upbringing that I was blessed with has given me confidence that I can succeed in whatever path I choose to trek down in life, and the ability to overcome the obstacles and hardships that will block my way. However, I cannot thank the people enough, from both my life and childhood who have really been the reason behind me getting to where I stand today, by providing me with such a solid foundation. So here’s to them; I only hope I can do the same for others as they’ve done for me.
To my family: thank you for loving me from day one (and literally, I mean day one). From the very start, you’ve been my biggest supporters in every endeavor I’ve ever undertaken. While I was on the court, you were in the bleachers. While I was on the stage, you were in the audience. When I was at practice, you were eating all the food from supper so that when I got home later I had to eat cereal instead (but seriously, THANKS). In all seriousness, you have seen me at my best, my worst, my pretty, my ugly, and everything in between, and you’ve loved me through it all. Mom, thank you for understanding my irrational worrying and reassuring me with a hug only a mother knows how to give. Dad, thank you for teaching me everything there is to know about football and always buying me treats from the gas station when I was little (which I never told Mom about, I’d like to mention). Brothers, thank you for showing me that though people are different, it is still possible to love one another for each other’s differences and learn to appreciate them. Family is forever; I cannot thank you enough for being there for me from the start, and knowing that you’ll be there for me until the end.
To my friends: thank you for being the reason behind so much laughter, love, and joy. From little tikes on the playground in kindergarten to high school seniors throwing our graduation hats in the air and watching the shiny square caps reign down over us, you have been by my side through it all. You’ve been there to build me back up whenever the world knocked me down. I can’t thank you enough for the crazy sleepovers of elementary school full of rainbow manicures and pillow fights. Thanks for going with me through the awkward phases of middle school, including the monstrous zits, brace face stage, and boy-crazy rants (even though the boys still weren’t wearing deodorant at this point, yuck). Through high school, being able to share involvement in activities and school events with you made everything 1000x more fun to be a part of and has provided me with an abundance of memories to look back on one day and tell my grandchildren about in one of those infamous “back in my day” speeches. I’ll never forget our midnight runs to McDonalds, deep parked car conversations, and the promises we all made to never grow apart (which I’d like to report, I’m personally holding you all to).
To my boyfriend: thank you for teaching me what it’s like to want someone else’s happiness more than your own. Thank you for showing me how I should be treated and for being not only my boyfriend, but one of my best friends, too. It’s crazy to think of how quickly someone can become so close to you in such a short time. Looking back, I never expected for our relationship to go the direction it went, but I’m extremely thankful that it did. I already have too many wonderful memories with you to pick a favorite, and I know that as we continue to make more in the future, that task will just become more and more impossible.
To my teachers: thank you for giving me all of the utensils necessary to prepare me for the realm of college. I never truly appreciated all that you did for me on a day-to-day basis in elementary and high school, but looking back it’s clear to me that you sacrificed a lot in order to give me the best education you could. Thank you for coming in early before school started when I needed to take a quiz I missed or couldn’t wrap my head around a homework assignment. Thank you for encouraging me to reach my full potential and boosting my self-confidence in my academic abilities. In my upperclassmen years of high school, thank you for cracking down on me (despite my senioritis whines) to give me a taste of what college would be like. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I’m at today.
To people of my hometown: thank you for raising me. The saying, “it takes a village to raise a child,” has never struck home with me before as much as it does now. Being able to grow up in the town that I did was an experience I wish everyone could have. The friendly people, relaxed small-town atmosphere, and help-thy-neighbor attitude has influenced me tremendously, and I hope that I preserve that part of me for the rest of my life. I’m happy to report that wherever I go in life, I will be proud to tell people where I come from.
