My fellow classmates,

With commencement next week, I've realized we are all about to go on different journeys. Some of us have decided to further our education by attending college or a trade school while others are making the courageous decision to protect our nation. There is a chance I will never encounter some of you for a while or merely ever again in life yet I feel there is so much left I have to say. Let me first start by saying congratulations on finishing this chapter of our lives. We did it! I have gotten to know you through varies ways that I will either cherish or grow from these memories we share. There are a few of you that I feel like I need to address individually for closure purposes.

To my best friends,

There is so much I have to thank you for. Whether that is letting me vent to you for hours or simply asking for help with homework assignments or tests, I feel like I owe you the world. I have evolved from the awkward freshman I was once and yet, you still accept me. Whether we have been friends since dance lessons in first grade to just the beginning of this year, you are my best friends. There will always be jokes and laughter that I will still laugh about, gossip and secrets I will keep forever as promised, and memories that will be on constant replay. Yes, we have fought, but our friendship was tested and has triumphed through those hard times. I know we are all about to go on separate adventures at different colleges, but you will always have a special place in my heart. I have no idea how long it will be till we see each other again once school begins in August, but this is not the end. I hope we will continue to take on the world together when we are adults.

To the class of 2018, 2019, and 2020,

There are far too many of you to name, but you know who you are. Some of us are a year apart to three years, but you have shaped me into who I am today. When I did not fit in with the class of 2017, you accepted me as a friend. You are the next kids to shape and make the school better than I left it. I cannot wait to see what you achieve and accomplish throughout your upcoming senior year. I know you are all on the pathway to amazing things. Thank you for listening to me and accepting me. In some way or another, you have filled a void in my heart that I thought was gone. Senior year was a rough year, and within the next short letters, you will get a better understanding why. I know there are moments where I said that senior year was the worst and talked down on it, but you all made it the best for this graduate.

To the boy I've always had a crush on,

You were probably aware that I liked you even though I pretended you did not. There was something about how you got excited about video game releases that made me weak in the knees. However, you also dated the same girl for the majority of high school, so I never got the chance to tell you how I feel. I never wanted to be that person that made things awkward for the relationship and our friendship. The few times we hung out always gave me hope that we might end up together. Each time though, I would get my hopes up that the moments we share would play out like a romance novel, that I might be the underdog finally noticed by the popular, athletic boy. You unintentionally broke my heart just by being yourself.

There is a bright side to all of this. Don't you worry. By making me come to my senses, you made me realize I should not wait around for someone to take notice of me. I deserve to have someone you notices me from the moment we meet. You helped me realize what I need in a relationship and the type of person I want to be with. You are not the guy I want to date. Thank you for making me realize that my one and only true love will not be you and that there is someone out there waiting for me.

To my "frenemies,"

Let's be honest here. We do not have the best memories between us. Whether it be over a small disagreement or a large disagreement, there have been so many negative emotions. You have made me frustrated. You have made me cried and doubt myself for how I handle a situation. You have also made me so anger that I believed steam would come out of my ears. There are some arguments we had that I do not remember quite well nor do I want to try to remember. We cannot rewrite the past.

Furthermore, I would like to thank you for those arguments and rough moments of life. You have thrown curveballs at me and shook up my world with a simple text message. I will admit that some of the incidents between us have been childish and not shown the best side of either one of us. I will grow from these experiences though. I have become more mature and continue to seek the best friendships that are out there. I know now how friendships should work and will work for them.

To the girl that I let try to push me around,

I have finally come to terms with the reality of what you have done. When I thought we were "friends," you emotionally abused me. You took advantage of my sympathy for whatever you were going through and let you get away with it. I cut you off at the start of the new semester and I do not regret a thing. I spent too much time afraid of you that I might lose a friendship that wasn't even a friendship at all. I wish I came to this realization at the end of freshman year rather than letting you torment me up until the half way point of senior year.

However, I do need to acknowledge you. Thank you for making me realize that not everyone has my best intentions at heart. I always gave people the benefit of the doubt, even when they did not deserve it, and believed people were genuinely kind. It was a rude awakening but also made me come to a realization that I need to be more careful. I was not looking out for myself, but going into the "real world" in a few months, I know to do better.

Lastly but not least, to my teachers and guidance counselor,

At some point, I have come to one of you in a time of need to vent about someone I previously addressed. Not only did you help further my high school education and lead me towards graduation, but thank you for listening to me. You did more than teaching the state mandated education plan. Thank you for validating whatever emotion I was feeling and helping me grow as a person. I feel so grateful to have teachers like you in my life. Not everyone can say they have had teachers that cared so deeply as you did and I do not if I ever will. We were never formally "friends," but you definitely acted like one. Thank you for being an ally.

With that, all I have left to say is that I wish you all the best. Especially during the worst moments, you have made me a better person and I cannot thank you enough for that. Our pathways may never cross again like they did in the high school, but I think I can officially say goodbye to it all. Thank you once again for everything you have done even if you did not realize it.