I have never regretted my decision to travel all the way to Indiana from New Hampshire to go to college. Despite the many differences between living in New England and the Midwest, I have quickly fallen in love with my new home. And I really do love everything about it: I love my classes, my professors, being able to be part of the golf team, but most of all, I love my friends. No, I had never been to Chick-Fil-A, Penn Station, Fazoli's, or Steak n' Shake. I had never seen cornfields go on forever and ever (seriously, it feels like they don't end!). I never thought I would be going to Buffalo Wild Wings or IHOP at 11:00 p.m. on a Thursday night just for fun. I definitely never thought that I would end up love playing "Super Smash Bros" for the Nintendo 64 and GameCube (Yes, I know: I'm still not that great but I'm getting better) .I owe all of these awesome new experiences to my college friends.

On top of all of this, I owe my college friends for being more than friends.They are my extended family. I live in Kingston, New Hampshire. As much as I love my home state, it is over 1000 miles away from school. That means when vacation time rolls around, getting home for me is quite the adventure. Luckily for me, my friends are always right there with me.

Some have woken up early with me after finals ended to drive me to the airport. Some have waited an hour in the airport parking lot while I waited to claim my luggage (pro tip: avoid checking bags at all costs...). Some have even housed me for an entire weekend because I didn't fly out until Monday. The point is my friends are amazing. They have taught me so much about myself, and they have and always will be there for me whenever I need them to be.

(I imagine this is how my friends feel about picking me up at the airport...)

College can be really tough, and Rose-Hulman is no exception. At this place, studying math, science, and engineering, the bar is set so high that I think we students often think it is out of reach. On top of that, the pace can be ridiculous; ten week terms take their toll on students. But after being introduced to the Midwest and all the friends I have made, I would have it no other way. I love when we play scary video games on Steam and end up too scared to sleep. I love playing intramural sports with all of you, despite my inability to shoot a basketball. I love going to the library with you to get coffee and do homework together. I love when I get my butt kicked in Super Smash Bros (sometimes, I get Falcon-Punched so many times, that it actually hurts my stomach).

I love when you knock on my door at one in the morning asking for help with Calculus. I love to see you in the hallway in between classes. I love to play campus golf(or real golf for that matter) on a sunny weekend afternoon. I love watching football with you on the weekends, even if we do have to watch the Colts. This list could go on forever.

The point is that I could not imagine going through each day without you guys. All of my amazing friends manage to make even Rose-Hulman a super fun place to call home. I hope that one day, I get the chance to repay you for what you have taught me about the Midwest, and more importantly, myself. And so, once again, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you all!