Since my last full week of my freshman year is coming to an end, I have found myself reflecting on the various people I have met. Whether or not they know it, they have influenced my life in an unforgettable way and I want to say thank you.

1. Backpacking Trip

During orientation, I made the hasty decision to sign up for a week long backpacking trip to Lassen Volcanic National Park. To say this was the best decision I have ever made would be a monumental understatement. This was the trip where I experienced true friendship and found a new appreciation for being outdoors. Thank you to the leaders of the trip for making college seem a little less daunting and for going out of your way to hike and talk with me. I enjoyed learning about your various experiences with college and learning shortcuts to registration and which classes I should and should not take. Thank you to the four other freshman who I had the privilege of meeting on the trip. The moment I met each of you I instantly knew we would all be good friends. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with each of you and appreciate all of the love and kindness you showed me not only during that week in Lassen, but throughout the school year. I remember thinking on the last day of our trip how sad I was that we would not be spending as much time together, but we all promised to keep in touch. I love how we kept that promise to each other and how we always smile and say hello whenever we pass each other. I will never forget my first set of friends at Sonoma.

2. My Roommates

To my roommates, best friends and sisters, the moment I moved into 4209 and talked to each of you I instantly knew we would be best friends. I will never be able fully express how much I love you guys!

Whether we are painting our nails and putting on face masks, walking to the library late at night, or going on one of our crazy adventures, I always think to myself "I am so lucky". I am grateful for all of the laughs, Chipotle runs, inside jokes and the million times you made me make my mom's potato recipe. I am grateful for the bike rides, all the meals we eat together, and for having people who stay up all night to study. I have enjoyed meeting all of you and can honestly say I gained six new sisters. I can't wait for the crazy shenanigans we get ourselves into next semester.

3. Guy Friends

The backpacking trip also led me to all of my guy friends. Meeting Peter on the backpacking trip was the greatest blessing in my life. I remember on move in weekend he called me and asked if it would be okay if him and his roommates came to my dorm to meet my roommates and I. The second each of them introduced themselves I knew we would be best friends. We always say it is amazing how us girls would all love each other and then we would become friends with guys who all get along as well. I will never forget our adventures to Bodega Bay, eating all of our meals together, and how at least one of you always makes sure to walk us girls home when it is late.

I am grateful for meeting Will on the backpacking trip and how he always comes over to hangout, study and make tacos. I will never forget how he jumped off of our balcony to follow me and make sure I was okay late one night, and how he always leave notes in my room and on our front door. I love how I introduced myself to one of my sisters friends and she went "oh my gosh you are Katalina! Will always talks about how much he loves you!". I admire his ability to be himself and not care what anyone thinks and how he always goes out of his way to make everyone feel loved. If the world were full of more people like him, it would be a much better place.

4. The Lessons Learned

I have learned many new things about myself this year that I am eternally grateful for, the most important one being that I have absolutely no regrets. In Philosophy today were were talking about happiness and how the true meaning of happiness entails having no regrets. I can honestly say that I do not regret one thing that I did this year. I do not regret stepping out of my comfort zone because the biggest one being the backpacking trip led me to all of my friends. I do not regret taking chances and telling people how I feel because I know that the person I was last year never would have had the guts to do so. Lastly, I do not regret attending Sonoma State University. Last year I was sure Oregon was where I wanted to go and was mad at the thought of attending Sonoma. However, I truly believe everything happens for a reason because I cannot imagine myself anywhere else. Sonoma has become home and I am eternally grateful that Oregon did not work out because no other school could have made me this happy.

5. To The Person I Was

I think about who I was before the backpacking trip and before the beginning of the school year. I am grateful for the scared girl who never really took chances and wanted to start somewhere fresh. I am grateful for the girl who took a chance and signed up for a backpacking trip despite being afraid. I am grateful for the girl desperate to make friends and for finding the most amazing people in the world to surround herself with. My friends always joke around and say how I have evolved from this scared girl into someone who is outgoing and confident, but they are the reason why I am the person I am today. They are the ones who made me feel comfortable enough to be myself and for the first time feel like I belong somewhere.

I am grateful everyday for Sonoma and all of the wonderful people I have met. It is a blessing and a curse to be surrounded by such loving people because it makes parting ways for the summer much harder. There aren't enough words that could describe how much you all have impacted my life and how much I love you. I cannot wait for the many adventures to come.