As I reflect on my high school career, I think of all of the teachers who I've encountered over the last four years and I want to say thank you. Thank you for making the decision to become a teacher. I see the way my mom, who is a teacher, comes home from work every day. She is stressed, she is tired, and she still has work to do. When I was younger, I wondered why she kept working as a teacher if she seemed to hate it so much. As I grew older, I learned that my mom doesn't hate her job and that's exactly why she pushes through the pain and goes back to her classroom year after year.

Through my years of school, I have had 43 individual teachers helping me to learn. While everyone has an opinion on their teachers, I truly believe that all of you helped me to learn something, whether it was within your designated subject or not. You have helped me learn about functions and quotation integration, but you have also taught me to stand up for what I believe in and to make sacrifices to make the class better.

Thank you to the teacher who understood that science is not my passion but still made everything I learned fun and interesting. Up until then, I was under the belief that all teachers thought their class was the most important. Now I know that my passion for musical theater doesn't make science less important, but it is still okay if I'm not the best in the class. The future actor shouldn't have to be the best scientist in the room, the future biologist has a reason to have the highest grade in the class.

Thank you to the teacher who taught me that girls have just as much a right to be involved in technology as boys do. I had always loved computers but didn't think I could use them for anything other than playing my games in silence at home. You taught me at a young age that girls are talented, smart, and creative and we deserve all the same opportunities as anyone else.

Thank you to the teacher who taught me to deal with rejection and disappointment. Thank you for teaching me that even when it feels like no one else believes in me, I can still believe in myself. I always needed the validation of others and now I'm learning to support myself when those in power don't see what I'm capable of.

Thank you to the teacher who taught me to take every opportunity I am offered. I used to shy away from auditions or things I didn't think I was worthy of, but you taught me that I am not losing anything buy auditioning. If I don't audition, I won't get it. If I do audition, at least I have a chance. You also taught me to accept "no" as a challenge to change it to a "yes." You taught me never to accept not being good enough and to make myself good enough. You have made me not just a better singer and beatboxer, but a better person.

All of my teachers have helped shape me into the person I am today and I cannot thank you enough. You have all left an impact on me and when I think of noble professions, I think of you. I'm sorry for all of the unfinished homework, failing test grades, and half-assed essays; I'm sorry for the things I may have said about you to my friends when I was angry; I'm sorry I did not appreciate you enough while I was still in your class. Now that I have graduated high school, I can truly look back and see what you have all done for me and I know that I will never be able to repay you. Please keep doing what you're doing because you're doing it damn well.

To everyone else reading this: please thank your teachers. Two small words can really brighten someone's day.