In my four years of college, I have had the pleasure of meeting so many different people, as well as hanging on to people I had known before. They have all been such a huge part of my college experience, and for that, thanks are in order.

To my freshman year friends:

Thank you for being there during such a tough transitional period of my life. Thank you for exploring our newfound freedom with me, for being there during those homesick periods, for helping me through the head-scratching dilemmas as I made my way into “adulthood” and for helping me make this foreign place a new home. Thank you for the nights where we set out to do one thing and let adventure lead us the rest of the way. Thank you for getting lost with me in the rain, for trying new clubs with me, braving first parties with me, and for sharing the obvious freshman stigma we so potently reeked walking through campus. Thank you for standing by me during eye-opening experiences and for the tough times where I felt that college wasn’t for me. It might be dramatic to say that I wouldn’t have been able to do the rest of college without you, but I’m going to say it anyway.

To my upperclassman friend:

You were my glimmer of hope and my beacon of light for my early college days and I am so lucky I had you to guide me (Mean Girls reference intended). You taught me how to care about what matters like my dreams and who I was becoming while showing me how to leave the indifferent things behind like boys’ feelings and the dramatic tendencies carried over from high school.

You taught me that post-graduate life isn’t as scary as people say and were just such a role model for me then, and now. You danced by me on my wildest nights and laid next to me on some of my quietest mornings. You helped me awaken a confidence in me that I didn’t even know I had and showed me that feeling deeply is so much more a strength than it is a weakness. You have been a part of some of my dearest college memories and you will be that “college friend” I fondly tell my kids about.

To my friends from home:

Thank you for being my second family, for giving me something to come home to and for keeping me in the loop as well as being an active part of mine. Thank you for the trips we went on that helped me get through some tough times. Thank you for providing a break from the college atmosphere and for standing by me all four years despite being right next to me. I am forever grateful for the bond we’ve formed and fed throughout these years and I am immensely proud of all that we have accomplished in this time.

To my fizzled out flames:

No matter what terms we ended on, I will never regret a single experience. You have taught me so much about myself, about love, and about what I want and need. I can honestly say that there are pieces of you I hope to find in my life partner, and I am forever grateful that you have been a part of my journey towards self-discovery. Some of you were there for such vital parts of college, and others were there for the mundane. Either way, you have left your mark and all I can say is thank you for that and I hope that I have left mine.

To my underclassman friend:

You are without a doubt the most fun person I have met in my four years. You reminded me of what it feels like to be young and goofy even though I’m supposed to be “figuring things out.” You helped me laugh in the face of seriousness and brush off things that would have otherwise weighed heavily on me. Thank you for bringing out a side of me that I forgot I had and reminding me how fun college (and life) are supposed to be. Thank you for making me laugh hard on some days that I didn’t think I would get through. I am so grateful to have met you and been a part of your adventurous spirit. I know we will be official world travelers one day.

To my roommates:

Whether planned or unplanned, you have been there for things that others have not. My early grumpy mornings and my late stressful nights would not have been as bearable or as memorable without you. I know not everyone has the experience of becoming close enough with their roommates to make lasting memories with them, but I am so grateful that I have that with every one of you. No matter where you end up or who you end up with, I hope that maybe you have moments where you see something that reminds you of me and you’ll remember how I’m still rooting for you from wherever I am.

To my best friend:

I see that quote all the time about how lucky you are if you have the same friend through all stages of life and I can’t help but think about how insanely lucky that I have been to have you for all of college. I know how impulsively I can be sometimes in an effort to follow my heart and you have just been so wonderfully perfect at supporting me and reeling me back in when I’m about to go off the deep end. I look up to you so much. Thank you for all of the times that you have been right even when I wanted you to be wrong and for never saying “I told you so.” Thank you for picking me up when I was deserted, for being there for me no matter what, for reminding me that not everything is the end of the world or my whole world, and for just being by my side through it all. You have been there when new people entered my life and when old people left and having you as a constant is what kept me sane.

Each person I have met in these four years has been a gift one way or another. Whether our friendship has faded or remains stronger than ever, I am forever grateful to have met you during such a transformational period. I wish all the best for you and I hope you find all that you are looking for in this life.