I am sure I speak for everyone when I say the past year or so has not been in the slightest bit ideal. I mean, who wants to live in a pandemic and be completely cut off from the outside world? Sure, it's nice that we have phones that allow us to call someone with the push of a button, but nothing compares to being face-to-face with the people you love. To pass the time, my friends and I had bi-weekly zoom calls that practically lasted all night long.

When I went to college, I was absolutely terrified of the crazy ways my life would change.

For the first time, I was living three and a half hours from my parents in a new town with new people, and the pressure of college classes coming down on me. I wasn't with all of my friends playing basketball, marching in the band, and running through the hallways between classes like I used to in high school.

I had no idea what would happen or who I would meet. The main fear in the back of my mind though was the chance that I wouldn't keep in touch with the people I grew up with. My whole life I was told stories of people keeping in touch for the first month of college or so and then growing apart.

Instead of drifting away, in a lot of ways nothing changed at all.

Even though we're all graduated and doing our own things, we still call at least every once in a while, and when we're home, we're still glued at the hip. As soon as we see each other again, it's like we were never apart in the first place. They are like family to me and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

We all have had one hell of a year filled with stress and change, but one thing that has stayed consistent is them.

I know everyone says this, but I truly have the best friends in the whole world and I am so lucky to have stayed so connected to them. A lot of people say that they grew apart from the people they loved the most in high school, but I feel so incredibly grateful to continue to navigate life with my biggest support system. I wouldn't be who I am today without them, and I hope they are always a big part of my life.