Graceland University,

First and foremost, thank you. You have become my home away from home and I wouldn't be the woman I am today without you. You have introduced me to my past, my current place, and my future. The only words that come to mind are thank you. I have been wanting to write this letter for some time now, but I haven't been able to find the words. Thankfully I have found them and these are some of the many reasons I am thankful to call myself a YellowJacket and a Graceland alumni.

I want to thank you for the friends I have made here. I didn't know what real friends were until I came here. People you can connect with on a level of loving sports, God, chips and salsa, dogs, and even similar weird traits you both have, Without this University, I would never know what it felt like to have real, genuine friends. I have called upon my fellow YellowJackets due to heartbreak, loss, and even messing up an assignment. My friends from Graceland are my core, and without them, I don't know who I would be.

I want to thank you for bringing me to a place so near and dear to my Grandparents heart. They met here when they were Freshman and Sophomores and I will love their love story till the day I die. My Grandmother saw my Grandfather and was too nervous to talk to him, but my Grandfather knew the second he laid his eyes on my Grandmother that she was going to be his wife. My Grandmother always told me that she was waiting for her knight in shining armor to show up, but my Grandfather showed up in his white car instead. My childhood viewed Graceland as a fantasy, a place where dreams could come true. After my Grandfather died when I was a Freshman, I needed a place that I could go to connect with him. I found that place to be where her found his footing, the love of his life, and the fantasy I had pictured in my mind for most of my childhood. Without this amazing place, I wouldn't be able to have this place to share with my Grandmother and her true love.

Lastly, I want to thank you for introducing myself to who I was meant to be. I felt lost when I was in High School and didn't know how I would impact the world. Thanks to the many opportunities I was able to take advantage of, I would not be the woman I am today. From the Women's JV soccer program, house council, ENACTUS, student directed plays, and my jobs held at the University, all of these opportunities have helped to shape me into the woman I am today. They have challenged me, pushed me past the breaking point, and shoved me into uncomfortable positions, but I know I am better because of them. They are amazing opportunities I know are only available on the Hill and I am so blessed to have been able to experience them.

So Graceland, thank you. You have brought me so much joy in my life and I don't know how I could ever repay you. Money is temporary but memories last forever, and thanks to this amazing University, I will forever be rich. My time at Graceland has come to an close, but my love for this amazing place will never end.

Sincerely,

Zoe