Hi, friends. Just like that, four years have gone by in the blink of an eye, and graduation is upon us. Reflecting on the past and thinking about the future has me feeling a little bit bittersweet. I’m ready to take on the next chapter that life has in store for me and explore the potential energy that the world has waiting for me, but I’m not quite ready to close this chapter ─ the one of us. But before we turn in our apartment key and go from seeing each other every day to who knows how often, I have a couple things that I want to thank you for.
1. Thank you for showing me that it’s okay to be me.
A large part of college is finding out your own identity. How do you take up space in the world? How do you identify yourself? Who do you associate with? Before I met all of you, I was myself, but a smaller and more condensed version. I was like one of those little dinosaur sponges in the pill ─ I was there, alright, just not quite absorbed yet. Meeting you four was the equivalent of soaking me in water. I got to grow, expand, and be what I was always destined to be.
2. Thank you for providing me with valuable lessons.
Everyone needs the type of friend who will tell you when you’re about to do something just a little bit too over the line. Sometimes, you are that friend. I want to thank you for trying (and failing, sometimes) to keep me balanced, and for always having my best interests at heart.
3. Thank you for assuring me when I couldn’t assure myself.
I can’t thank all of you enough for listening to my woes, my doubts, and my problems, and always being there for me. Having you all as my support system has been so emotionally valuable for me, and after all of your talks and your love and assurance, I am emotionally stronger for it because I know that I have my friends behind me no matter what.
4. Thank you for serving as amazing female role models.
The accomplishments that all of you have achieved are enough to fuel my strong girl inspiration for the next twenty years. From serving as badass feminist women who always speak out about what they believe in, to killing it in the workplace and showing dedication and hard work, I am always inspired to work hard, grind hard, and play hard because I know that it’s possible because of you.
All of these things can’t sum up the last four years of our friendship, and they don’t adequately explain how much you ladies mean to me. I love you all so much, and I always will, and I’m so grateful and happy that we got to spend these years of our lives together learning and growing and supporting one another.