Dear Class of (insert class year here),

After spending a majority of my boring day on Facebook, I saw many open letters people have shared. There were letters made for mothers, fathers, siblings, roommates, professors, and some other people, but one thing I did not see was an open letter to the people that have made us who we are today.

Our parents and friends have done a good job on us for helping us grow into such wonderful human beings that we have become, despite the mistakes we have most likely made. These are not the only people we should be thanking. I spent 13 years, 9 months a year, 5 days a week, and roughly 8 hours a day. That's over 18,000 hours with the same people and I'm extremely grateful that I did. These classmates of mine shaped me into who I am and I am so proud of that.

Instead of talking about who I am and what I have accomplished I just want to say, thank you. Thank you for being by my side and everyone else's for so long. Thank you for helping me achieve my goals, whether it was scoring that extra point in the game, helping me remember the meaning of that Spanish word, or simply helping me talk to the person I wanted to be with, you have seen it all. Thank you for not giving up on me on my bad days and making sure I had good ones. So as I say this over and over, thank you, because I guarantee you haven't heard it as much as you should have.

We have been through so much together and I don't know what I would have done without the support of my class. We lost a classmate and a friend. We have witnessed the many heartbreaks and some of our closest friends going away. It sucked and we were all miserable, but it's something that made us stronger and definitely closer. Most people would give anything to have such amazing people in their lives.

I have no idea what over half of you are doing, but that's okay. It was time for us to go our separate ways so we can meet the new people that would help grow more. I know one of you will become a great surgeon, a brilliant lawyer, a creative writer, a genius of a teacher, and many more amazing things. I never doubted any of you and I may not have shown much support, but I thought very high of my entire class.

So as I continue to grow as an individual, I just want to wish all you luck with your future. The goals you will accomplish will be remarkable and I don't know how much longer I can be all emotional about this, but you all have really made a difference and I thought you should know that no one can ever replace you.

Sincerely,

An old classmate, but a forever friend.