The day has finally arrived, the day we have been waiting for since the minute we met. In fact, this day is the entire reason we met in the first place; it was this shared goal that brought us together. Today is the day my best friend graduates college. So, here’s my best attempt at a congratulatory message in order to capture just how proud of you I truly am.

To my best friend, first roommate, partner in crime, and rumored lesbian partner- you did it! I am so incredibly proud of you that it is hard to stay calm enough to write anything that even makes sense. Everyone says college goes fast, and they aren’t lying. It truly feels like yesterday that we were just timid little freshmen meeting each other for the first time. Little did we know that day was the start of a beautiful friendship that would give us four and a half years of crazy adventures.

So, for starters I want to apologize for the many times that I have not been the easiest friend/roommate to have over the years. I’m sorry that I ignored your first facebook request because I never remembered to check my email and thought you were just some creepy girl from Philly rather than my dorm mate. I’m sorry for the times I should have been there to help you but wasn’t, like the time I let you drive home alone from the middle of nowhere, or the time I let you change the scentsy pot wax by yourself without warning you not to pour the hot wax down the sink. Last but not least, I’m sorry for the times I got myself into situations that I couldn’t get out of without your help….including the time I tried to reach my phone charger from my lofted bed and managed to get stuck between the bed and the wall.

I also feel it necessary to throw a few thanks your way. I truly would not be who or where I am today if it wasn’t for you. Thank you for never judging me, even when I was the kind of roommate who did things like get stuck between the bed and her wall. Thank you for showing me your city and introducing me to cheesesteaks and water ice; I don’t know how I survived 19 years without knowing such amazing things existed. Thank you for all the nights that turned into mornings, all the fights that turned into laughs, all of the nights we don’t remember, and all of the talks that led to tears, and then also turned into laughs. Most importantly, thank you for teaching me that my voice matters, and for helping me find it and ensuring that I use it, even if it shakes. We truly have encouraged each other to be unapologetically ourselves, and it is this that ensures me I have no need to worry. You are going to go out into the world and do amazing things, and you’ll do them with that infectious smile and loveable sass that make you one of my favorite people on this planet.

So, as you go out into the world, don’t forget that a new city doesn’t mean the end of an era, it simply means a new city gets to prepare itself for when the two of us get together. Although our friendship might now mean less cuddles and more face time, that does not mean there will be any less support, laughs, tears, or love. Since the day I came home from class to you listening to Taylor Swift about a boy, I knew you were stuck with me. Through all the exams, stress, travels, boys, the breakups, the haircuts, and most importantly, getting through the evolution of Taylor, together, we have formed a bond that no amount of distance could ever break.

To my best friend, on your graduation day I do not wish you luck because I know you don’t need it. I will not say

goodbye, or even see you later because that implies that there will be something missing, and as we have already proven our friendship survives in any city, any state, even while living on different continents we couldn’t get rid of each other. So, on your graduation day I tell you, you did it, you made it to the day that we have been working for since our friendship began. You have grown into such a strong, caring, intelligent, open-minded girl whose smile alone can infect an entire room with happiness. So it is not you that I wish my luck upon, it is the world because there is no force like you and I have no doubt in my mind that you will change it for the better, the way you changed me for the better. Now, go give em hell kid.