I transferred to UNCW this year as a junior last fall. I thought it was going to be a lot harder to make friends than it actually was, as I believed that most people in the Creative Writing Department already made their friends. For the most part, it was true, but I became friends with a few people pretty quickly. Everyone in the department seems to overlap somehow, and soon enough I was added into a group chat with nine other girls from the department--some of whom I hadn't even met yet.

Slowly but surely, I became closer and closer with each of you. Coffee dates happened, writing dates happened, and then just plain ol' hanging out. I had classes with most of you over the past school year, or we were involved in the same club. We continuously tried to get all of us together, and it still hasn't happened. (And when it does, the world will likely implode.)

This was a really rough year, and I honestly believe that I wouldn't have made it if I hadn't met you guys. You all continued to inspire me — both as writers and as humans — and you all continued to make me smile and laugh. You guys got me out of bed without realizing it. You guys made such a huge difference in my life, and I don't know how I'm going to get through the summer without seeing you guys almost every day. (I don't even want to think about what happens when most of us graduate next year...)

I want to thank each of you personally: Callie, for always being a ray of sunshine; Grace, for even though we haven't hung out much, you always make me laugh; Lizzie, for being as sarcastic as you are; Katherine, for almost always texting back within a minute; Jesse, for loving T-Swift as much as I do; Nikki, for always hugging me when I'm down; Patricia, for being the sweetest human I have ever met in my life; for Tyler, for being the other transfer student and adding me into this group chat in the first place; and for Becka, for always being up for Chinese food and bad movies.

You guys so quickly became my family, and for that, I can't thank you enough for welcoming me. I love you guys so much.