My first anniversary to my high school graduation is approaching. All I can think about is how much I miss high school. The amount of memories made and lessons learned is astronomical. I loved everything about high school and saying goodbye was one of the hardest things I ever had to do. With that being said, I don't think I ever made it clear on how thankful I really am.

My first thank you is dedicated to P.A.L.S: a club that changed my life. I was introduced to P.A.L.S my freshman year by Mrs. LaHart—a special education teacher and later my homeroom teacher. She was sitting at the back of the room on the very first day. And, as always, I started a conversation. Quickly I was able to express my love for teaching and my dreams of becoming a teacher for students with disabilities. She knew that P.A.L.S. would be the perfect place for me so she directed me to Miss Jameson.

Miss Jameson informed me about the first P.A.L.S. party. Of course, I was indubitably eager to go and see what it was all about, so I went. I will never forget walking into the commons that night; it was the night I learned what true friendship meant. It was the night that Josh ran up to me and said, "Hi, I'm Josh! Want to do the conga?" It was the night I met Hannah, Jarard and Brandon. This was the moment I realized what it meant to be happy. See, this club taught me how important honesty is and how important it is to love beyond what the cover of the book illustrates! The people in the club never judged the cover of my book, they only wanted to know what was on the inside. As years went on, Miss J and Miss LaHart advised an amazing club that I was lucky enough to be a board member of. This club was my happy place; it will always hold a very special place in my heart, so thank you to all for teaching me what I love most!

I would like to also thank, the teacher that brought me to Fairleigh Dickinson University—Scott Kallens. Mr. Kallens (who studied at FDU) was my 10th-grade history teacher. History was a subject I dreaded for as long as I can remember. But come 10th grade, that changed. Mr. Kallens was a different kind of teacher. He was the kind of teacher who knew every kid could love history, they just might not know it yet. I always perceived history to be just memorization and boring facts, but I learned that it is why we live the lives we do today. He taught us in a way that gave us the ability to learn but have fun, too. He taught us the ability to make our own opinions on the world. Even more than that, he taught us to respect and be the story that we want to be in history.

Then came junior year, and once again I see Mr. Kallens as my second-period history teacher. That year I learned even more, and as that year started to dwindle away, I knew I wanted to be a teacher like him. The best way to do that was to see what goes on behind the scenes of his teaching. Senior year came and my 10th-period class was my independent study with Mr. Kallens. That was when I discovered his secret, it was caring deeply about every one of his students. He wanted them all to succeed. And from that point on, I wanted to learn how to be an amazing teacher like him. That is when I knew Fairleigh Dickinson University was where I needed to be! So thank you for helping me get to the next stage in my life!

My third thank you goes out to the teacher who made me excited about math: Elizabeth Watz. Growing up, math was always my favorite subject—it made complete sense to me! It was more applicable learning, which worked really well for me. Mrs. Watz loved math and really loved teaching it. She always went above and beyond to help us! She made study guides and would stay after school if we needed extra help. Math became something fun for me, and I began to love solving equations because it was like solving a puzzle. And for that, I want to thank you for always making me excited for my first-period math class.

Another thank you is dedicated to Gilbert Pilarte, the student assistant guidance counselor. Pilarte is the ultimate counselor! P, you were there when I felt alone and hopeless. You were there when everything felt like it was being shredded into pieces. You taught me that it is okay to ask for help, and it is okay to need help. You taught me skills to help me when my depression and or anxiety took over. You reminded me that it's okay to make mistakes, and it's okay to mess up. You also taught me how to learn from my mistakes. Thank you for teaching me to be strong through any bumpy road trip!

My fifth thank you is more like a bunch of thank yous to Brian Yarasheski and downstairs guidance as well as Mrs. Housell, who was upstairs. Thank you for all being there when I needed guidance most! The downstairs guidance office—Mr. Progin, Mrs. Sarre, Mrs. Griffin, Mrs. Kenny, Dr. Colontino and Mrs. Kreiswirth—were all there and cared so much about me. Honestly, I loved being a guidance aide because that meant I got to spend that period helping the people who helped me so much! You all helped me through the years but especially through my journey of applying to colleges! So thank you for recognizing me for who I was and for seeing potential in me!

Another group of thank yous goes out to Mr. Jablonski, Mr. Simpson and Mr. Simborski, who made the school a better place! You all knew me by name and took time to care and be there for all the students!

I would also like to thank Miss Bingert. Thank you for being the principle that saw great futures for all your students!

HHS also deserves thanks for giving me friends that I know I will treasure forever. Especially my second-grade enemy who has been my very best friend since seventh grade—Alyssa Greif. You have always been there for me and I couldn't be more grateful! You are a friend I know I will have forever! And that means the world to me.

Lastly, I would like to thank Hillsborough High School for being a place I knew I could call my home. Class of 2015 was a class that I was able to grow with and call family! I feel so blessed to have been able to grow with such amazing people!

As the anniversary of my graduation approaches, I want to thank everyone that was part of the stepping stones to my future! I now realize that those goodbyes I said almost a year ago, were only see you laters because once a Boro Raider, always a Boro Raider!