Starting freshman year is scary. I came to college knowing a few people, but not at all prepared for the overwhelming amount of work and pressure that comes with living on your own. To the girls I met and who helped me not only survive this whirlwind of a year, but who have truly made me a better person, I really can’t thank you enough.

1. Thank you for the wild nights where we drank way too much but always helped each other stumble back home.

2. Thank you for teaching me my self-worth and showing me my whole life is ahead of me.

3. Thank you for being a shoulder to cry on when my whole world went dark.

4. Thank you for encouraging and believing in me when I failed that test that I really needed to pass.

5. Thank you for helping me discover who I am and making me the best version of myself.

6. Thank you for all the late night studying, even though we weren’t always the most productive bunch.

7. Thank you for always being down to get food, even if we just ate two hours ago.

8. Thank you for the pee-your-pants laughing fits we would get in and just couldn’t seem to stop.

9. Thank you for these friendships that have shaped me and changed me for the better.

10. Thank you for being the amazing girls you are, and I thank God every day for blessing me with friends like you.

I could not have handpicked a better group of girls to call my girls. Each and every one of you are beautiful, strong young women and should be so proud of yourselves. They say these four years of college are the times we will reminisce on when we our older, and I can truly believe with friends like you, I will always be able to look back and smile.