Dear Class,

Well, it has been over a semester since I have seen the majority of you. Everyone is off at college, technical school, working full-time, enlisted in the military, or maybe even sitting in their parents’ basements. We no longer see each other in the hallways every single day like we did for last the four years of high school. We no longer make small talk by the lockers or gossip before class begins. We no longer sit at the designated senior table at lunch, nor do we stand at the front of the student section cheering on our fellow classmates.

Things have changed. Things have changed a lot. We are now off on our own creating a new chapter of our life story. For a lot of you, you’ve gotten to see many of our classmates and have kept in contact with them because you attend the same college. For some of us, we are literally off on our own without hometown friends or parents in sight and for others, well, they might be sitting somewhere in-between. No matter your case, we are all experiencing brand new things. We are taking on new opportunities and developing skills that maybe we never had before. We are now cheering on our college of choice instead of our high school that we so deeply loved. We have made new friends and have grown up more in this last half-year than we did all four years of high school.

That being said, I wanted to take the time to thank all 75 of you. You all made an impact on my high school experience whether you realized it or not. Thank you for:

1. Firsts. Some of you were my first crush, my first best friend, and maybe even my first enemy. I learned to love people and also how to deal with people who maybe didn't like me. I learned how to treat people and how to respond when someone treated me poorly. You all helped me get through my awkward years. High school helped me develop a sense of who I wanted to grow up to be in life. It showed me how important it is to become yourself.

My four best friends from high school.

2. Competitive Nature. No doubt about it, we were an extremely competitive class whether it came to athletics, our education, or even popularity contests. No one wanted to lose and, when someone did, it was obvious that they were disappointed. We wanted to strive to be the best, and it pushed me to work harder.

Senior year after winning the South Dakota High School Fastpitch Softball State Championship.

3. Experiences. Lastly, I am thankful that all of you made high school one to remember. I have so many things I will be able to tell my future children about high school. I could name endless amounts of memories with you, but I suppose you could say they are meant to be memories. We already went through many of those memories right before graduation to remember all the good times together. I already miss some things about high school, but I also couldn't be happier with where am I today.

Fans from the Breast Cancer Awareness volleyball game.

I understand that things have changed, but you must understand that, too. This summer sounds so exciting because a lot of us will be back in our hometown, but we must realize everything is now different. Not everyone is going to come back the same person they were in high school. Some may not even want to see or talk to you. High school is in the past. No matter how much I love this graduating class, I know the likelihood of seeing all of you is slim to none. I have moved on from high school and I hope you have, too. Cherish the memories, but remember why they are considered memories. Thanks for everything, and I hope life is treating you all well.

P.S. Thanks for "whipping and nae nae-ing" out of high school with me.

"Whipping and Nae Nae-ing" to a song at the end of our high school graduation ceremony.