I have had many teachers throughout my life, but since I started college, I haven't experienced many professors. However, the ones I have, have simple impacted my life greatly. As a college student and a Biology major, my life tends to be a little stressful and at times feels never ending.

This professor was not there my freshman year, but in the last year and a half, they have truly made an impact on my choice and the person I am becoming. Not going to lie I kinda felt lost after I dived into the biology program. I just wasn't doing so well compared to freshman year and everyone else. I wanted to give up, but this professor saw the potential in me; something I had not discovered yet myself.

I just want to say:

Thank you for always having faith in me.

Thank you for the long meetings and talks about life.

Thank you for helping me realize how I learn and helping me become a better student.

Thank you for the push and the constant lectures about the steps to follow when taking a test.

Thank you for not letting me drop out...yet.

Thank you for being weird with me and constantly finding gobstoppers that represent codons.

Thank you for always asking about my health and my family as well.

Thank you for that one and only hug (two weeks ago) because I felt like a failure.

Thank you for the content words of encouragement.

Thank you for advising my crazy life and never letting me taking an overwhelming amount of credits.

Thank you for helping me stay on track and not slack off.

Thank you for attending to the ever so often, high maintenance moments.

Thank you for all the candy that I've eaten in the last year and a half.

Thank you for calming me down when I freak out about the idea med-school.

Thank you for the laughs and the sarcasm.

Thank you for yelling at me when I do not believe in myself.

Thank you for being the "Crusher of Dreams".

Thank you for being more than a professor.

And most importantly, thank you for never telling me that I couldn't do something.

There is so much more I know that I want to thank you for and I know over the next year or so more will arise. You have strongly impacted my college experience and my life in a way. I am forever grateful for that. Once again, thank you Dr. Ryder.