We’ve known each other for merely a few months, having met in the crisp autumn air of September. I could have never calculated how much of a support structure you would become for me, nor how much purpose and space you would accumulate in my story in such a brief time. It took mere weeks, perhaps even days with some of you before you began to express vocal affection toward me, those of you who are girls saying: “I love you” or “I’m so glad I found you”, and those of you who are guys saying: “I got your back” or “I’m here for you”. Yes, I’m talking to all of my best friends from college, and it is truly remarkable to watch how much our friendships have blossomed this past year. Though now, freshman year is only weeks away from ending, and I worry what will become of our friendships when summer is situated between them. Next fall, some of you will live near me and some of you will live across campus from me, but I want you to know that I will still be here. I have watched the summer split friendships too many times because one puts in all of the communicative effort and the other party does little. Schedules are busy, some of you will be working full-time jobs, some will be leaving the country, but regardless, I am a phone call away and even if we can’t meet up in person, I would still love to chat.

I want to thank you for blessing me by walking into my life and opting to join me on my adventures, big or small. I want to thank you even if we haven’t gone many places yet for considering taking that leap with me. I want to thank you for supporting me and embracing my spunky, energetic, and sassy insanity. I want to thank you for making me feel valued and reminding me that I am worth fighting for and that I have a purpose. I want to thank you for each and every time you’ve made me laugh or smile or made me feel fuzzy. And perhaps most importantly, I want to thank you for all of our incredible memories together, whether they were made in the past, present, or whether they have yet to aspire to be in the future.

I am aware that this is brief, and there are not enough words in the world for me to be able to effectively discern the impact you’re having on my life, and yet I still thank you not out of necessity but out of something more like contempt. So, to each of you in this short letter, I have one closing caveat, I’ll always believe in you and be here for you if you only provide me the same courtesy.