Now that I've finished my first semester of college and I've visited my high school a few times, I've started to appreciate even more the education that I received in high school. Don't get me wrong, high school was not all rainbows and unicorns, I had my troubles but I couldn't imagine being in a different school for those four years. Notre Dame gave me some of my greatest memories and moments that I wouldn't want to give up, so...

Here's to you Notre Dame, for instilling in me a sense of confidence.

Even though I got tired of hearing, "One girl can change the world" or "Women of Vision" all the time, these mantras became an integral part of my education in high school and now college. They taught me that I can do and be anything that I want to be. Everyone at NDA wants to see you succeed and do great things later on. The sense of community is like no other.

Here's to you Notre Dame, for giving me a solid work ethic to take with me wherever I go.

There was always so much to do and so much going on that if you didn't have a good work ethic, it was hard to get by. Teachers and students were there to help when you needed it but having self-motivation was always a good thing to have. Whether or not you're going straight from school to student council then to a sports practice or you have musical rehearsal until late at night, being able to get your work done and doing it well was key to being successful. Because of this, I have great time management now and I look at all of the people cramming for finals and I know that I've got mine in the bag.

Here's to you Notre Dame, for challenging me to always do my best.

Teachers don't let you get away with putting in 50% effort. If the paper you turned in looked like a rough draft and it was a final, they would not be afraid to mark you down for it. Because of this, I am a better student and a better person. Teachers want you to succeed in your future and in order to do that they know we need to put our best foot forward. They are always there to help and while you may not want to all the time, it's definitely worth it to put in 100 percent effort in everything you do.

Here's to you Notre Dame, for giving me life-long best friends.

One of my favorite things about NDA was the sisterhood. I may not have been best friends with everyone I went to school with but we were all friendly with each other. NDA has given me what I hope are best friends for life and for that I am so blessed. The girls at Notre Dame are like no other in the sense that we all support and lift each other up no matter what we're going through. It's a beautiful thing and it's something that you can never give up.

Here's to you Notre Dame, for being a one of a kind high school experience.

Notre Dame is truly one of a kind. I cannot think of another school that goes all out for Halloween. I cannot think of another school that has a killer student section, even for games that we know we might not win. I cannot think of another school that puts on weird student council skits for Christmas and does hunts for ribbons in honor of red ribbon week. I love that Notre Dame girls show so much school spirit all the time for everything we do. We support each other in athletics, musicals, plays and even in our academics. We all want to see each other succeed and for those reasons I'm glad I was part of the plaid sisterhood.