To all the friends I left behind...

It is difficult to put into words what I felt hugging you all for maybe the last time until August; perhaps spending my last night in my freshman dorm; packing up room 234 and closing the door; driving away from the people and the school that I love with my whole heart. Now, I know I'm not a senior. And when I think about how much this situation sucks, I always tell myself to be grateful. To be grateful that you have three more, full years (I hope), to spend it with the people and in the place you have come to love. They don't have that, and I am truly sad and frustrated for them. I see how upset I am about leaving after only being here for seven months, but I can't even imagine the emotions they must have been feeling this last week. Nevertheless, I wanted to write this "letter" of sorts to say thank you to my best friends.

You guys are my rocks. Seeing your smiling faces every day is what keeps me going. You are honestly the funniest, craziest, yet most down-to-earth people I have ever met, and that is an unexpected combination to find. However, I could not be more grateful for how we mock and taunt each other, yet lift each other up to high heaven; I could not be more grateful for our bachelor Mondays and our cracked-out Fridays; I could not be more grateful for the times we are apart, because it is so special when we come back together. However, this time feels different. It doesn't feel how I expected it to feel when we ended school and started summer. It feels incomplete because it is. We were supposed to have a whole two months left. We were supposed to have many more spit dinners and sleepovers. We were supposed to sit outside cova between classes and watch nova become natty champs. We were supposed to have two more months of just enjoying each other's company, but now we don't. Thank you COVID-19 for making my freshman year feel truly incomplete.

I never thought I would find my best friends freshman year of college, nevermind in the first month. I consider myself extremely lucky to no only have found this type of companionship, but this specific group of people. You all are so special and bring something so different to my life and I am so appreciative of that. However, there is one thing, that despite our differences, you all allow me to feel, and that is endless joy. Despite all of this madness, I refuse to say goodbye. We have three more years, there cannot be a goodbye yet. It is simply a see you later, maybe see you in a month, maybe see you in five months, but we will see each other again. And that is a guarantee. I love you all immensely. See you on group facetime :)

xo, soph