“I am a mosaic of everyone I’ve ever loved, even for a heartbeat” was a phrase I found while looking through screenshots of Tumblr posts on Pinterest, and it has always resonated with me. My family didn’t move around, but I tended to float in between friend groups, so I was constantly collecting pieces of others. I was made up of multi-colored stained-glass window pieces, continuously collected from my friends (and family). The only responsibility I had was gluing them together, so allow me to take you on a tour of my masterpiece:
Mia/Maya
My first friend from kindergarten through to graduation. Mia and I matched Maya and Riley’s personalities from Girl Meets World. I appreciate learning girlhood through you and am excited for coffee soon.
Abeera
Although we no longer talk, I’m still searching for the coffee candies from before every spontaneous competition with Odyssey of the Mind. I’m grateful for being friends and wish you the best. I no longer drink my coffee or tea the way you made it.
Lauren H and Julia M
My New Visions girls, who will always have a special place in my heart as my best friends. You both are unique and incredibly understanding. I adore you and appreciate you for the roles you both have in my life, always.
Julia B
You taught me a lot about the freshman year of college and grounded me in campus life before you transferred to UConn. I hope your journey is everything you imagined, and I cannot wait to see all you will accomplish. (Please be my OBGYN when you get certified or whatever is required to accomplish your dreams; I promise you can write a book about me and my fake diabetes ;))
Gabbi
I am forever grateful for you. You have an incredible perspective on life and are the most hardworking, loving, and beautiful person I have had the pleasure of meeting through St. Bonaventure. Thank you for teaching me how to be a better person and for giving me your perspective, being my human diary, and allowing me the space to grow. I’m excited for our next chapter (more your next chapter than mine) and will love you bunches always!
Abigail Traverse
You remind me to be through and to rely on my friends. You’ve further developed my understanding of girlhood. I appreciate you and am so glad we’re friends. Thank you for accompanying me as we both learn how to be educators at different school levels. Thank you for making me glue a stained-glass piece to my mosaic and being patient with me as we wait for it to dry before we add another piece on.
Abbey Taber
The most noticeable piece in my mosaic with your bright vibrant hair colors. I’m so glad you lived on Fourth Dev last year. You are a well accomplished person deserving of joy, love, and community. Thank you for challenging my thinking and perspective and your insight into sisterhood and the world. I hope you dominate the world.
Satya and Celeste
My divas. Thank you for all the chats and mapping out our lives. You are both incredibly intelligent, joyful girls that truly bring me to another level of discussion each and every time we sit down for a debrief. I enjoy every chat we have as we grow into mature adults and the adult world of various types of relationships.
Gwen
You are bright and joyous. Thank you for introducing me to pomodoro timers so we can both accomplish tasks together. You are a joy to be around and have taught me to enjoy different food combinations that I never thought I would enjoy. Expanding my horizons every day. Please never change.
Lex
I am always beaming over your accomplishments. You are the absolute sweetest, easiest person to talk to. I enjoy every chat and appreciate your presence beyond words. Thank you for being my inspiration for every professional outfit and for showcasing a comfortability with being yourself. You are authentic, vulnerable, and wonderful, and you ensure that everyone else has a voice and encourage others to be authentically human. I appreciate you and am grateful that Bonas gave me a friendship with you.
Montana
You are bright, bubbly, and protective. Thank you for encouraging me not to be a doormat, for allowing me the space to listen and rant. You are deserving of every good thing, and I appreciate that we are on the same page pretty much all the time. I’m excited for more memories, joy, and what life throws at us next. Thank you for developing my lack of girlhood knowledge and for being the sweetest person and friend.
Miss Maddie and Maddy
Miss Maddie, you are the silliest, happy soul alive in the world. Thank you for always having the perfect thing to say to make me laugh or smile. You teach me that you can be carefree, intelligent, and organized. The world is cooking up the most wonderful repayment for all the joy and kindness you throw out into the world. I adore you and your dinosaurs. As for Maddy, can’t or I’ll cry. Go read the article all about how special you are or look at us and know we’re the same person, slightly different font.
My boyfriend, John Mincher
You have an incredible sense of understanding of everyone and everything. You are incredibly funny, intelligent, and basically my personal form of melatonin. You encourage me to be the best version of myself in a way that is constantly improving and growing to be better every day. I appreciate you so very much and am very grateful you did New Visions Education your senior year of high school. Let’s go student teach :)
My campus involvement (RA staff, Her Campus, and other clubs)
My involvement on campus and off has built up my experiences and introduced me to a variety of people who have taught me so much about myself. I am eternally grateful for everyone I’ve had the pleasure of being around. For teaching me new food combinations and ways of thinking about the world. Thank you for putting colorful pieces into my metaphorical mosaic without realizing.