Dear Freshman Me,
It has been a long four years. There have been many dorms, apartments, classes, professors, and learning moments throughout our time at Manhattan College.
In the past few years, you have had invaluable experiences and opportunities you never could have imagined when you were first setting up your freshman year dorm room. You became Creative Director and eventually Campus Correspondent of the cool online magazine you loved reading in between classes (shoutout Her Campus). You rushed and joined a sorority and in turn, became the Vice President and gained over 80 new friends. You got into the education honor society you always dreamed of gaining acceptance into and became President with two of your best friends. You made friends with the girls who will be the bridesmaids at your wedding and developed wonderful relationships with faculty who became such a huge part of your support system.
You still cry whenever you have to leave your family for school and you never strayed far from the pink room aesthetic, but you have grown so much as a person. You learned so much about yourself and the world around you through this tiny college that five years ago you had never heard about. You worked so hard to get to student teaching and you will be beginning that goal next week. You would not be nearly as successful or close to where you are had it not been for the wonderful people you have surrounded yourself with.
I wish I could tell you to go easy on yourself or tell you to study more on tests you should have better prepared for. But since I cannot, I feel it is my obligation to thank you. Thank you for being brave enough to move away from home and for being smart enough to be suitemates with the pretty blonde girl who loved One Direction as much as you do. The choices you made are what got me to where I am today and I could not be more grateful for where that is.