Dear sister,
It wasn’t until right before I left for college that we became as close as everyone envisions sisters being. However, now I can confidently say that you are my best friend. We went from living in the same house for 15 years to now living 400 miles away from each other, and I miss you so much every day. You are my inspiration in life – I hope that one day I can be even just half as cool as I made you to be (you’re welcome by the way). I have watched you grow and change over the last 17 years and I am so proud of the person that you are becoming, and so should you. You are so funny and kind, always so quick to make people feel included even if they annoy you, and you show up everyday with a smile on your face no matter how you may be feeling. You have such determination and perseverance for the people and things that you love. I think that you are the coolest person to exist. I love you so much Juniper!
Dear roommates,
From the moment that we met three years ago in Fremont Hall, I knew our friendship wouldn’t just be another freshman year friendship situation. It didn’t take long for us to get to know each other either because we were always playing We’re Not Really Strangers on our dorm room floors, which are some of my favorite memories from college by far. From living in the red bricks to now living in an off-campus apartment together, we have really been through it all. Another favorite memory of mine is doing endless puzzles freshman and sophomore year; this is kind of funny to me because I feel like we are all puzzle pieces that fit perfectly together. We can talk about anything and everything for hours no matter how early or how late. I know people say that you change in college and grow into yourself, but I genuinely owe my growth all to you guys because you have shaped me into the person that I am today. I wouldn’t be able to do this whole college thing without you guys. I am going to miss you both so much next year (as you both leave me behind to go study abroad). I feel in my heart that we will be in each other’s lives for a lot longer – it just makes sense. You guys are my best friends; I love you Isabel and Kylie!
Dear high school besties,
We have seen each other at our absolute worst – whether that is early morning soccer practice or boyfriend breakups – we have been through it all together. But, we have also seen each other at our best: high school graduation (just kidding, kind of). Seriously though, from sunset swims to visiting each other in college, I wouldn’t trade you guys for the world. We are not the best at communicating, and since we all live three hours away from each other, it feels like a part of me is missing when I am not with you guys. As we have gotten older, we have had less opportunities to be back home all together, which makes me realize how old we really are. It feels like just yesterday that we were 14 and 15 at club soccer tryouts, and now we are 19 and 20 in college with only one year left before we graduate (but separately this time). No matter how far the distance gets, I know that we will always have each other. I love you, Indie! I love you, Ianthe!
Dear college besties,
I tend to have a hard time making friends of my own because I am a very introverted person and I will befriend friends of my friends, but I never really feel a strong connection to them. When I came to Cal Poly, I was living in a dorm room with two other girls and in a hall with 30 or more other girls. I thought that I was going to have to make friends with these people even if I didn’t like them, but boy, was I wrong! I ended up loving some of them so much that I am still best friends with them to this day, three years later. Many of them are still friends of friends, but we have all matured to a point of building deeper connections and I have never been so close to a group of people in my life. From roommates to neighbors to intramural soccer teammates, the friends that I have made at Cal Poly are the type of friends that I know I will have long term. We have done so many things together, whether that be go to frat parties or hike Madonna at night in winter to see the Christmas tree. I love my friends so much, and I am so appreciative for every single one of them because they are all unique in their own way; nobody brings each other down, we build each other up and better ourselves in the presence of one another. I love you Lyndsay, Nina, Kelly, Katie, Kaia, Serena, and Daisy!
Dear mom,
I genuinely wouldn’t be where I am today without you. We have always had a very special relationship, as I am the first born daughter. Even though I didn’t shed a tear, one of the hardest days of my life was leaving you to come to Cal Poly. I was trying to be strong for you, but it has always been hard. Being without you for the first time in 18 years was terrifying. Even now, after being in college for three years it is still one of the hardest things I have ever done. You have always been the first person that I come to when I have a problem. Whether that be if I fell down when I was a kid and screamed for you, or came home for a quarter from college for my mental health, it has always been you above anyone else. You have done the duty of being a mother, but now you are doing the duty of being a best friend. You brought me back to life, back to myself and I couldn’t thank you enough. If it weren’t for you, I would not be back at Cal Poly right now living my best life with my best friends. From the day I was born until the day that I die, you are and always will be one of my favorite people on the entire planet. I love you more than life itself, and I cannot express my gratitude nearly enough for everything you have done for me and our family. I love you so much, Mom!
Dear grandma,
You are the ultimate cool girl and the biggest inspiration. You don’t let anything stop you or get in your way. When people ask me about you I say, “Yeah, my grandma is in her 80s and is still working full time.” People think that is crazy, but I think it is amazing. You have built such a community for yourself at work, and all of the students you see everyday at school love you so much; they wouldn’t be able to let you go just as much as you wouldn’t be able to let them go. Not only that, but without you, my family and I would be nowhere. You have helped us so much from big things like our house to small things like sending us cards every niche holiday. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be at Cal Poly and I wouldn’t have met any of the amazing women that I have written about in this article. I don’t think there is any way big enough and to thank you for everything that you have given me and my family the privilege to do. All I really can say right now though is thank you Grammy, I love you!
Dear Her Campus,
It wasn’t until my junior year at Cal Poly that I joined Her Campus, and that is one of my biggest regrets in college so far. As soon as I stepped into my first meeting six months ago, I could feel that I was in the right place. Her Campus is such a welcoming, kind, and loving group of some of the most amazing women I have met at Cal Poly, and somehow I get to be a part of it. I instantly felt like I fit right in. From the time I wrote my first article and had it published to getting us a partnership with Evry Jewels, I feel like I have finally found my place at Cal Poly. All of my friends are different majors and have different academic interests than I do, so joining Her Campus has allowed me to talk about, express, and explore my academic interest in a space where they are shared amongst everyone. Her Campus has provided me with a place to be my best creative, intellectual, and strategic self in every way. I am so beyond grateful for this group, and I could not be happier to have joined, even though it took me until my junior year to do so. Thank you for giving me a community and a space where I can be me and better myself. I love you, Her Campus!