Everyone has a special person or place that has made them who they are. My place is my small hometown: Woodville, Mississippi. Anyone who has lived here knows how close knit this town is, and no matter if you've lived here for years or months, it is a place you will always want to call home. I wouldn't be who I am today without this town and the people in it. So, this is a thank you letter to Woodville, my home forever.

First off, I would like to thank Wilkinson County Christian Academy, because this school is the heart of our town, and had a huge impact on my life. The majority of the people I met in this small, private school have helped me get to where I am now. I want to say thank you to my teachers and all school faculty, for putting up with me and my classmates over the years, and still managed to teach us something. Whether it was math, history, or a good life lesson, we definitely learned something new every day. You all truly have taught me more than you know. Thank you to my classmates as well, for not only being my friends, but also being a very dysfunctional family that I share countless memories and experiences with.

I would like to thank the people of our town who supported me throughout school, and still support me now in college. When I was in high school, many kids would be in the town newspaper multiple times a year for sports or academic achievements. As a result, we would be congratulated by every person we would see on the street for at least a month, because everyone in this town is always cheering for you. You have all inspired me to be the best I can be in whatever I do, and have helped me so much along the way. They say it takes a village to raise a child, and in my case that couldn't be more true. Thank you all for supporting me in everything that I do.

Next I want to thank my friends, family, and the people I have become closest to over the years who truly make this town my home. During my first year of college, these were the people I could call and rant to after a tough week, who are always there and who were the people I was most excited to see when I came home. When I leave for my second year of college, I am confident and eager knowing I have such a great support system back home.

Last but not least, I would like to thank my parents for choosing to raise me in this town that I call home, and also for giving me everything I have needed to be successful growing up here. It will be hard leaving again after being back in our home all summer and having my parents around every day, but you have prepared me with more than I could ever need to go out into the world on my own.

So, thank you Woodville, for being my safe, happy place for the last 19 years. No matter where I go in life, the memories and experiences made here will always be in my heart, and I know I always have a home here. I know I always have a family here with everyone in this wonderful town. I couldn't imagine growing up anywhere else or any better place to call home.

Love always,

Mary Claire