Dear advisor who put up with me for six months: Thank you for being understanding & not losing patience despite the various issues that caused my college acceptance to be delayed until a week before my flight. I could never have done it without you. Thank you for the endless emails, phone calls & even texts that helped me figure out classes, FAFSA, meal plans & everything else in between. Looking back, I realize now how chaotic the whole process was, but with your help, I was able to transition smoothly.
Dear orientation leader: Thank you for being over-the-top welcoming & for answering the few questions I was brave enough to ask in our small groups that first day of college. Your enthusiasm, while seemingly fake & terribly annoying at the time, really did help me ease into the whole "be chill" vibe that is crucial to practice.
Dear boys I kissed: It's college. It happened. We're adults, it's not awkward. Okay, let's move on. I promise I don't hate you. And yeah, of course I remember. No, we don't have to get married.
Dear favorite teacher: Thank you for believing in me & my work even when I cut myself short. Thank you for tolerating my sometimes inappropriately casual & unfiltered attitude in class & for always having your office door open. Thank you for listening to me rant about my final paper & the annoying characters I was dealing with- both in literature & real life. Finally, thank you for encouraging me to pursue something I've always wanted to pursue but didn't have the guts or the encouragement to do so.
Dear friends: It's not easy being my friend, is it? Thank you for accepting my crazy, my annoying, my good, bad & ugly. Thank you for being a shoulder to cry on, providing a bed to sleep on, a buddy to eat with & a partner to study with. Thank you for the whole days we wasted watching Netflix & the nights I swore I wouldn't survive. Thank you for the lessons you taught me & the love you gave me. Whether or not we remain friends throughout the coming years, I will never forget you, even if you forget me.
Dear Louayne: You are one tough lunch lady. Thank you for always greeting me with a smile & being patient when my I.D. didn't work & had to be swiped 6+ times. Thank you for never judging me when I came in to get a cup of coffee every 45 minutes five times in a row. Thank you for cleaning up the cafeteria messes, wearing holiday-themed accessories with pride & striking up conversations with the football players (which was just plain adorable).
Dear roommate: You are my best friend. I don't know what I did the first few weeks we weren't friends. I still don't know how we got from that first Barnes & Noble date & talking about our exes, high school & families to where we are today. Thank you for truly never giving up on me, even when I'm sure you felt like you wanted or needed to. Thank you for believing in me, trusting me, listening to me & yelling at me, each when needed. Thank you for supporting me in the things that deserved support & helping me mend things that needed mending. Thank you for doubling my closet & being my most favorite hello & hardest goodbye. You made my first year in college all that it was & I cannot imagine how I got on before you. I love you so much & can't wait for the years to come.
Dear North Dakota: Thank you for showing me that heaven exists in a bowl of knoefla, that San Francisco's "windy" is literally nothing compared to yours & that trees should be appreciated when seen (which is pretty much never). Thank you for being my second home. P.S. I love you.
