Last summer, I spent nine weeks at Mt. Irenaeus as a Summer Mountain Companion, along with Astou Sidibe, another sophomore at SBU.
We admittedly went through some ups and downs, and we weren’t necessarily friends at the beginning, but I can confidently say now that I would not be the same without Astou.
I want her to know how much I care about and appreciate her, which is why this article is dedicated to her.
Dear Astou, my Summer Sister,
I will never be able to thank you for how much you helped me to grow. You absolutely taught me patience and kindness at a time where I wanted to feel in charge. You taught me how to be a better teacher and someone who cares more deeply about others.
You are undeniably one of the most casually funny people I know. You often have me smiling and laughing at the comments you make or the actions you take.
I am wildly proud of who you are becoming. To know you are working so hard for your education and to see how deeply you care about improving yourself daily is admirable.
I know how intelligent you are, both academically and emotionally. I will never get sick of you asking me how I am doing, or the way you open your texts with my name. I will never stop loving who you are.
As an only child, I only knew how to live with my parents prior to college. You have the amazing experience of living with your siblings, and more importantly, caring about each of them so much. Something I will never forget about is the way you would call home during the summer and your little siblings would talk to you. They were always wondering when you were coming back and begged to see you. This just goes to show that you are a fantastic big sister!
Without even trying, you reminded me to care for myself. When you would spend time relaxing or when we were caught in the rain and you didn’t want to melt 😉, I was reminded of how important taking breaks is.
Another funny thing is how often I think about that delicious smoothie you made toward the end our time together. Between that and Fr. Lou buying our matcha, we were meant to be there at the same time, sipping our fun little drinks together.
Something more personal to my own experience and not necessarily to who you are as a person is your reaction to my coming out. I need to be super honest with you—I was terrified at how you might have reacted when I came out, but I needed you to know me more fully. I was absolutely shaking as we drove home in the dark and I explained to you my journey of identity. I figured that after playing Chappell Roan on our drives, you deserved to hear why her music was so special to me. Thank you for accepting me and for giving me the space to give you a greater glimpse into me.
To my Summer Sister, you are always a part of who I am, whether it be last summer, last week, or ten years from now. I hope we can always help one another grow and become the most kind and educated women we can be! I love you!