I did not graduate from a normal high school like most people. I graduated from a very rigorous, two-year residential high school that only took the top students from the state. This meant I moved away from home two years earlier than I originally expected and was thrown into a very academically challenging environment.
It was very hard on me. My first year there, my junior year, was very hard. I had a hard time making friends, I was struggling to keep up in my classes, and I just wasn’t sure if I belonged. All of that changed my senior year when I roomed with a girl down the hall I didn’t know too well. She asked me to be her roommate for senior year at the end of junior year.
After asking questions to see if we were compatible, I accepted. I couldn’t have been more excited. As we went through our senior year together, we grew very close. She made my senior year the best year of grade school. I realized she was so much more than a roommate to me. This is my thank you to her.
To the roommate who was so much more:
You taught me to open up.
You showed me how to not be afraid of being myself. You taught me how to have fun, and you gave me some of my best memories from school. You helped me connect with people I would otherwise have not talked to. You took me places I would have not normally gone to.
You taught me to not procrastinate.
Your strong work ethic is inspiring (and sometimes a little intimidating). You made me want to start on my work sooner, study harder, and put in more effort to my schooling. You gave me hope in many different aspects.
You taught me to believe in myself.
You always told me I could do whatever task was weighing me down. You hugged me when I was down. You left me notes on the bathroom mirror when I had a test or big assignment coming up. You make me feel important and appreciated. You make me feel like I can do anything, and you taught me to never settle for less than what I deserve.
You inspired me.
You are one of the most intelligent, strongest, and most driven people I know. You can always find something positive in every situation, and you always have a smile on your face. You bring out the best in others around you. You show everyone around you that you can do anything. During senior year, you only made me want to better myself and be more like you.
You taught me to be happy.
Through our random dancing in public, to cleaning our suite to fun playlists on Spotify, you made my senior year of high school the happiest year I have ever had at school.
You gave me a life long friend.
I know that you will be my forever friend. I know that I will always be able to come to you with everything, and you will be able to help me through it, good or bad. I know that no matter where life takes me, I have found a soul sister.
Thank you to that awesome, awesome roommate.