TCT’s The Countless Thanks 2022: Sofia Hargis-Acevedo
To The Central Trend staff, for brightening my day as we walk into room 139
Eva, thank you for entertaining me with incredible stories and gossip during sixth hour. Kiera, thank you for always being reliable and having such cool Converse. Syd, thank you for being my literal soulmate and making me smile every day. Katelynn, thank you for being a ray of sunshine every time I see you, both in third and sixth hour. Lauren, thank you for being such a kind human being who has always been so supportive. Addy, thank you for always being so positive and making meetings so much fun. Alex, thank you for being the sweetest person ever; there is not a mean bone in your body. Arpita, thank you for always working your hardest and being so kind. Payton, thank you for always being there to rant with me about Harry Styles and Taylor Swift almost every day. Gigi, thank you for always giving some of the best fashion advice—I feel enlightened after I read your lifestyle stories. Annie, thank you for always spreading your smile to me, especially when I’m having a bad day.
To Allie Beaumont, for being my sidekick
When I was a freshman and you were a sophomore, sitting together in our little corner with Linus, you told me that one day, it would be you and me with our names on the wall. Since that day, the idea of us never left my mind. Now, two years later, we spend many of our Sundays at Starbucks making the posting schedule and making feature lists for the following week. While I may not be in room 139 every morning with you, we have been able to make it work, and I am so proud of us. I have loved our year together so far, and no matter how difficult it can be at times, I wouldn’t trade it for anything. I love you so much, Allie, and I am so thankful for you to make this year possible.
To Kyra Thomas, for being my everything
I could write about you again and again, but it will never be enough to express how much you truly mean to me. Since the ripe ages of five and six years old, you have made my days brighter from dance classes to playdates. We have been on plenty of road trips across the state with extremely intense rounds of the Alphabet Game. We have watched Twilight more than anyone else I know; and I don’t care what people say, they are amazing movies. We have had twelve magnificent years as best friends, and I could never be able to repay you for making my childhood worthwhile. Now, though we may be the best friends that hang out every few months, I value and cherish you every day. Let’s just say, I want the next six months for us to see each other every day, before we go from being five minutes away to having to take a road trip to see each other. Kyra, I love you more than anything, and I am so thankful to have you as my best friend.
To Maya Sneider, for spending every Friday night with me, sitting with me at lunch, and enduring second and fourth hour together
Maya, I always have such a fun time when I am with you. Every Friday, whenever we get ready for football games together, followed by driving home listening to “A Dios Le Pido” and “Careless Whisper” while screaming it at the top of our lungs are some of my favorite memories between the two of us.
Our almost-weekly sleepovers have also allowed me to become best friends with your dogs, Zane and Zoey, and you have become best friends with my dog Blue. My most favorite day we have spent together was the Friday we had off of school. It was rainy, and we watched both Enola Holmes movies, went to the bookstore, and then went to another football game. I also love laughing with you at lunch, whether it was about something Noah said or laughing about how Angela and I have the same laugh. And lastly, second and fourth hour would never be as bearable as it is without you there to laugh with me. I am eternally grateful for you.
To Sydney Race, for putting up with me since eighth grade
I am so glad I have you to call at every minor inconvenience. Whether I have slightly relative gossip or I am crying over doing my homework wrong, I know you are always the one who will answer. And it goes the same for you, too. I love it when you call me to ask one single question, and we end up being on the call for hours; sometimes, not even talking. I love dishing about Taylor Swift and figuring out new story topics and going on car rides. I love watching movies with you, even though you hate movies. I love hearing your insane stories and being left speechless once you’ve finished. Most of all, I love you. You mean so much to me, Syd Race, and I am so thankful to have you in my life.
To Dad, for having dinner with me
In third grade, I believe, you took me to Arby’s for dinner one night. We talked about who my friends were, what I did at recess, and what the latest scoop was in elementary school drama. It was a simple gesture, but it led to something that would last. At first, it was strictly Arby’s; however, our pallets expanded to Firehouse Subs and beyond. Every week, or as often as we can, we continue to talk about my friends, what I did during school, and what the latest scoop is in high school drama. Dad, I love these dinners more than you can imagine. I get excited when you come into my room and ask me where I want to go, and I get sad when we are too busy that week. I love you so much, and I am forever thankful for Monday night dinners.
To Mom, for singing and dancing with me
Some of the best times we have together are when your 90s Latin Music playlist on Spotify is blasting in the minivan. When you skip through 20 songs until you find the one your looking for, then say, “Oh, this is a good one,” I know you’re about to sing your heart out. Then, when I make the slightest of funny faces at you, you make fun of me, too, especially when I try dancing along to salsa without knowing how to dance salsa. Then, when you play a song I have become familiar with from the years of hearing it in the car or at family functions, I sing along, but only parts I know, and you tell me how to actually sing it. No matter what, it always ends up with me laughing until I’m crying and taking funny videos of you dancing and singing. I love you, Mom, thanks for dancing with me.
To Carolina, for being my comedic relief
I have never met someone with wittier comebacks than you have. They could be the most random sayings, but they somehow somewhat make sense, and they always leave me laughing. Just you laughing at something funny that happened minutes ago can bring light into my day. When you do your funny dances and sing some random song you made up I can’t help but laugh at you. When you don’t like the clothes I used to love at your age and I almost cry while you make fun of me, I also end up joining in with a not-as-witty rebuttal. I smile so much more because of you, and I am so thankful to have you as my sister.
To Merrik, for always knowing what to say
I have never been so excited for Thanksgiving break; which I feel like that is something I say every year, but I truly mean it. I miss you more than ever, and I can’t wait to see you. One day, when neither of us have school to worry about, it will be easier to see each other more often, but our current arrangement will work until then. Our long conversations over text mean the world to me, and your words have just made me miss you even more. I love you, and I am so happy to call you my favorite cousin.
To Jessie Warren, for being my movie buddy
It sucks not being able to see you every day during sixth hour, but I love our alternative. Starting with Elvis in the summer, to Don’t Worry Darling and My Policeman this fall, I seem to always come to you whenever I want to go watch a movie. The last movie we watched, you decided to call our arrangement a movie-watching club where we are the only two members. I love our drives home after watching the movies where, after having a minor scream session, we dive deep into the plot and discuss our favorite parts. While I do miss our afternoons together every weekday, I am so thankful that I have this to look forward to.
To Natalie Mix, for always being there
I have always been able to count on you, ever since you saw that I lived nearby on Snapchat. Ever since that day, you have driven me home, even though your car has changed a couple times due to unfortunate circumstances, until I could drive myself. You are always someone I can count on to give me a hug when I can’t bear to do anything else, and you are always down to go on little errands that take five minutes. I love you so much, Nat, and I can’t wait to meet your next car.
To Charlie Molitor, for entertaining our car rides and making me laugh
I would like to think that our friendship has evolved from me being annoyed with you every afternoon last fall to now. Whether it is driving to and from school or coming home from Improv, you always make me laugh, even on my bad days. I love our D&W trips to get coffee and sunflower seeds, and the car rides when you have aux, even when your phone keeps cutting in and out. Thank you so much for keeping me company every afternoon, it means a lot to me (but don’t make me revoke your aux privileges).
To Katie Langejans, for crying at concerts with me
Two years in a row we have gone to see Harry Styles live, now. I have come to label each time as the “Best Night of My Life.” While our first concert was unforgettable, there was something about this one that made it so much better. While it could be the better view or the new music, I like to think that it was because we were both bawling together. I didn’t cry very much at the first concert, so I didn’t expect to this time, either. But after crying to “Matilda” and then hearing the intro to my favorite song and letting out a huge sob while you cried with me, there was definitely a large difference between the two shows. Now, I think back to that night in Chicago and my chest gets tight and a huge smile spreads across my face, because I saw Harry Styles again in concert with you. Thank you for being my concert buddy, and while we may not have gotten Taylor Swift tickets, I’m proud of us, nonetheless.
To Kaylin Scheuneman, for indulging in my antics
I don’t think we have ever been upset with each other. You and I are always laughing with each other, ending up doing stupid things at dance practice. Practicing our tricks together for dance was always tense, but we had fun, nonetheless. I love when we go out to eat together and end up talking for over an hour. We tell each other the funniest adventures, and we are always so invested, even if we have already heard the story. You are a ray of sunshine that shines through my cloudiest days. You never fail to make me smile, and I will always be thankful for you.
To Megan Fox, for always making me smile
Whether it is a tiring morning practice or an intense competition, your bright mood always transfers to me. I can always count on you to say the right thing and lift my mood, along with playful banter. I love when our families get together and we go upstairs to make funny videos and play Just Dance, and we only go downstairs to indulge in some tasty appetizers. You have such a bright personality and I am so happy you can share it with me.
To Paige Jacobs, for always being my Paigey-poo
Since second grade, you and I have danced our way all to where we are now. From seeing Taylor Swift during her 1989 tour to sharing a hotel room at nationals last year, we have had our fair share of fun, especially with the suitcase incident. I love laughing with you every practice and goofing around with you. I love taking you home and hearing about your crazy stories while I have you direct me through the “scenic route” to your house. I love you, Paigey-poo, and I’m very thankful for you.
To the FHCVDT, for showing me love for the past three years
Normally, I am opposed to waking up at five in the morning on a Thursday. However, when it is to wake up and see some of my favorite people, I am far more cooperative. You all make morning practices far more fun than they should be, as we laugh at miscounts and accidentally falling due fatigue. While the season is just technically beginning, we have had such an amazing year thus far. We have grown as dancers, and also as friends. I look forward to practice so that I can hug the people I saw just the other day as if we haven’t seen each other in years. I love you all so much, and I can’t wait for the rest of the season.
To Improv Central, for laughing with me
While it isn’t a surprise that I tend to laugh to the point of tears, it doesn’t happen as often as one may think. However, when I am with you all, I laugh to the point of sobs—literal sobs. You are some of the funniest people I have ever met. Trying to go through the alphabet during a scene shouldn’t be so funny, but here we are. A round of Last Line with a teacher-student reunion shouldn’t have become so awkward, but it happened, and it was hysterical. I am so thankful to have had the chance to laugh with you all, and I’ve got your backs.