I was brand new on campus, but so was every other freshman. I was particularly nervous about fitting in and finding my "Christina Yang" in college because I've heard my older friends talk about their person they found on campus. It was about a month into school when I finally met this person. She was wearing a cute purple dress and had the cutest red head pixie cut that I've never seen someone pull off so well. I knew something was special about her. A few weeks later, we were best friends.

To the strongest girl I know,

I cannot begin to express how much I love you. You are, by far, the most wonderful and talented woman I've ever met in my life. You are gorgeous inside and out, and you carry yourself with such confidence and poise that I wish I could. I love how you always look like a supermodel even when you have sweatpants and no makeup on. You have this personality that just makes me smile when I think about it. Your sense of humor compliments mine perfectly and there is never a time when we're together and not laughing. I could not imagine not having met you this year and having your beautiful smile light up my life the way it does every day.

You are so strong because life hasn't handed everything to you on a silver platter. I couldn't imagine you accepting it that way either. You're a fighter. You get what you want because you work so extremely hard for it. Your work ethic goes unmatched by any person I've ever met and I'm constantly in awe of how you take life by the horns. You've taught me so many things about how I should see the world. The phrase "the glass is half full" makes me think of you and your constantly smiling face. I can never thank you enough for this lesson.

You live life to the fullest and you keep yourself busy. I don't know a single person on campus who moves through life the way you do. You make it look easy and you make us look bad! Although I know life is not as easy for you as it looks from our perspective, you handle things with such grace and ease. It breaks my heart every time you say someone has hurt you or life isn't working out for you the way you had wished, but what makes me so amazed is how you handle it. You're always the bigger person when someone has done you wrong and you are always the one who keeps her sanity when the world is hectic. Moog, I cannot express how much I covet your ability to save face during those situations.

I love you with every fiber of my body and I want you to know I will always be here for you. Though you allow me to place my problems on you, I want you to know you can also lighten your load on me a little! I trust no one better than you to give me a bias-free opinion as well as some really good advice. Thank you for being you and thank you for showing me that being strong is the best thing you can be.