Dear Cleveland,

We can all agree that 2016 has been quite a year for Cleveland, OH. With the Cleveland Indians in the MLB playoffs, I started to look back at all the memories and what really makes Cleveland "Believeland."

First and foremost, a majority of people from Cleveland - myself included - will say that they are from Cleveland when they are really from a suburb outside of Cleveland in Cuyahoga county or from Lake, Medina, Lorain, or Geauga counties. It is no different than people from Cincinnati saying that they are from Cincinnati when they live right outside of it in Clermont or Butler county. It is definitely easier to tell someone you are from Cleveland than from Painesville, Westlake, Medina, Mayfield, or Rocky River, which is where I am originally from before coming to Cincinnati.

While I am 250 miles away from my hometown, there is not a single day where I forget about Cleveland. After all, I lived there my entire life until moving out for college. There are so many parts of Cleveland that I miss, and even parts from Rocky River.

Whenever I go home for a weekend or a short break from school, I always make sure to go to the lake. Lake Erie always means that I am home. Sure, it does get frigid in Cleveland by the lake in the winter, but that cold air, choppy, almost completely frozen body of water puts my mind at ease. Growing up, I had a lot of picnics and memories just by being at the lake. Those are some of the best moments you will always look back on.

Cleveland, you taught me probably the one thing I still hold onto to this day: always be passionate and work hard. Cleveland is definitely a blue collar, hardworking city full of people of different walks of life. If you want something, you have to work hard for it. That relates so much to being passionate.

Cleveland, especially through sports, taught me to find my passion even when others may give you a hard time for it, whether it is your career goals or what you enjoy binge watching on a cold Saturday night. Cleveland sports fans are by far the most passionate in the country. We have endured countless losing seasons and plenty of heartbreak. That still never stopped us from attending games just to see the Browns lose, or the Cavs when LeBron James left and they just did not do the best. Since then, we saw UFC fighter Stipe Miocic win the heavyweight championship, the Lake Erie Monsters win the AHL Calder Cup (I was there for one of the playoff games - tons of fun), and most recently, the Cleveland Cavaliers winning the NBA Championship which broke the infamous "Cleveland Curse." Cleveland taught me that I can overcome any obstacle or challenge that is in my path.

Ultimately, Cleveland, you helped shape me into the person I became. While college continued the growth, Cleveland gave me that spark to pursue my dreams, my passions, and be a better me. Working hard for something I am passionate about may be stressful, sometimes hair-pulling, but ultimately, I am always thankful that I grew up in Cleveland. You are always in my mind, and I always look forward to seeing you again. Until then, I will be rooting for the Indians to win the world series and bring yet another championship to Cleveland this year.