Dear Freshman Year,

As summer 2015 came to a close, I was nervous and very anxious. I was nervous about moving away from home and anxious about moving to a new city and making new friends. I was ready to get out of my hometown. But as college went on, I was ready to go back home. Now summer 2016 is approaching, and the final few days of my freshman year of college are here. There are a few things I have to say to the city I fell in love with all over again, the people I've met here and the university I call home.

Thank you.

Thank you for welcoming me with open arms. Coming here changed my life in a thousand ways, and for that, I am forever grateful.

Thank you for introducing me to the city I love.

Thank you for introducing me to the city that I love exploring; the city I now call home. Freshman year of college brings challenges and blissful moments. Coming here has changed how I view life and has opened up so many opportunities for me to explore in Pittsburgh on the weekends and on late-night adventures.

Thank you for giving me independence.

When you're a freshman in college, you gain a newfound respect for independence. It's something you had a taste of before, but were never able to embrace. Being able to choose when you come home and going places you might not have been allowed to is nice. It's a feeling of empowerment—being able to make decisions for myself, on my own.

Thank you for bringing me amazing food and new experiences.

Going away to college also taught me to step outside of my comfort zone in every way. If you ever have a free weekend, go find a small cafe or bakery and eat breakfast. Go on a walk with no destination. Embrace where you moved and honestly live with no regrets. I know it sounds cliché, but it's the thing you need to hear the most when you're 18 years old. You're only 18 years old once, so eat the cupcake, get the latte and take the road trip for there is no time like the present.

Thank you for showing me how strong I am.

You never truly know how strong you are until the unthinkable is thrown at you. Moving into school throws so many challenges and new things at you. It's being on your own and having to take care of yourself like making sure you eat enough food and get enough sleep. Which actually never happens in college. I was able to find my strength by knowing I was capable of making it through any challenge I was faced with.

Thank you for giving me new friends.

When you leave home and the sense of familiarity, it can be really scary. You leave your family and the friends you've had for over a decade. Honestly, you cannot get through college without people to randomly start dancing with at 1 a.m. or ordering pizza with because you're starving and you've been studying for the last six hours. You will not survive your freshman year if you don't open yourself up and allow yourself to find a new set of people at school. They will never replace your home friends in any way shape or form, but they make college and the struggles that come with it a little more bearable.

So thank you,freshman year, for showing me that I can thrive in new environments and for blessing me with people who are going through the same changes I am. The fact that we have each other makes it easier. As freshman year comes to a close, I wonder how any of it can get better. I promise to cherish years to come and not to let them fly by. I promise to continue challenging myself as you have and will continue to challenge me. We'll be parting ways shortly, but I'll see you soon.

Much love,

H