Everyone has a personal Hell. And mine? Well that would be Towson, Maryland. 3 years. 3 years I spent at a college that made me unhappy. 3 whole years of trying to make the best out of the worst, finding the good in the smallest of things, the happy in the saddest of times. But you guys, you got me through it.

If you ask me the best thing that ever came from my experience at Towson, it would be my friends. My personal philosophy is that everyone needs different types of friends to keep themselves balanced and get through the ever-changing emotions of tough times. Luckily I found one of each type of friend in Hell: A Motivator, A Supporter, and A Good Time. Now while all of my friends have a little bit of each in them, some carry more of one trait than the other.

To my Motivator: Thank you for choosing me Freshman year to be your “person”. It was those first few moments together during a floor meeting that I knew we were going to be the best of friends. We pushed each other to be better, in our major, as people. And you were the first person to lend a shoulder for me to cry on (many times might I add). You pushed me to stand up for myself, to not let people take me for granted. You reminded me constantly that I deserved a life of my own, one that no one else could control. You even pushed me to drag my ass out of bed every morning to those god-awful 8 am classes, and were only a little mad when I chose to sleep instead. You’re the reason I survived my first year of college and chose to even come back to a place I wasn’t that fond of. So I thank you, for having endless 30-second dance parties with me, and blasting Crazy Train during every Anatomy study session. You are a friend that I am forever grateful for, for pushing me to my full potential and making me realize that I deserve to be at a school that truly makes me happy.

To my Supporter: You’re everyone’s favorite friend. Not because you haven’t had hard times, but because you’ve learned from those hard times and support your friends through personal experience. You’re always the first to have my back, no matter if we’re 15 minutes or 300 miles away from each other. The Supporter is a special role to play as a friend, because it’s emotionally draining to listen to problems and give helpful advice. But you always seemed to do it, and didn’t complain once (okay, maybe once). Thank you for letting me vent over FaceTime and send you ugly crying snaps that I know you secretly enjoyed even though you’ll never admit it. We can never end our friendship because you have WAY too much blackmail on me. But in all seriousness, your support was exactly what I needed to decide to close the chapter at Towson, and move onto something better. Without you having my back, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to say goodbye and start over, so thank you.

To my Good Time: Hey girl, Hey! You by far showed me the best times at Towson. From what I can remember (and some nights that wasn’t a lot), we always had fun. From dancing all night at Green Turtle to watching TV shows religiously together, we were always laughing. You always made an effort to show me that there were positive things about Towson; I just needed to look for them. And when it came time to leave, I found myself thinking that maybe if I had met you sooner, I would have been able to convince myself that Towson wasn’t all that bad. But between deciding I was going to leave, and actually leaving, I had the time of my life with you. When I look back on my first 3 years of college, I’ll vividly remember spending my nights with you touring the town that I so desperately wanted to leave. Thank you for encouraging tequila shots and 2 am hotdogs. My body doesn’t thank you, but my heart does.

See, it’s all about balance. Finding friends who have different personalities but complete you together. If not for them, I wouldn’t be where I am today; attending a University I already love, or writing this article. So thank you, I truly thank you, to the people who got me through Hell.