TCT’s The Countless Thanks 2022: Evelyn Alt

Andrew Alt

Thank you for teaching me to love reading, writing, and languages at least half as much as you do. Thank you for spending hours reading Harry Potter to me on the couch. I don’t know if I would have joined this class if you hadn’t harbored my love of writing as much as you did. 

Carolyn Alt

Thank you for the years of encouragement and support. You always know if something is wrong, and exactly how to cheer me up. Thank you for sharing a love of ice cream even in the winter, and an understanding of what it feels like to be the youngest child. 

R-Athletics and Everyone There

After ten years of going to my gym, I can honestly say that I would not enjoy my life half as much without gymnastics. As much as I complain about how hard practice was or how much I wish I had stayed home, I will forever love the hours upon hours every week that I’m in the gym. Some of the best moments of my life have happened there, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. I know it’s cliche to say, but I’ve spent my life with the people there and I love all of them with my entire heart. So, thank you. 

Mia Shaffer 

Thank you for letting me eat the frosting off your cupcakes. Thank you for all the stupid nicknames you give us. Thank you for the endless stream of jokes that you never seem to be able to run out of. In the grand scheme of things, we haven’t been friends with each other for very long, only a year and a half. But I don’t know if only is the right word. It hasn’t only been a year and a half; it’s been just a year and a half. Just a year and a half of what I already know will be a lifetime of friendship. Now that I know you, I can’t imagine my life without you and your horrible, hilarious sense of humor. I have never in my life laughed harder with people than I have with you and Jadyn. I love you so much, and every moment I get to spend with you is the favorite part of my day. 

Jadyn Kemp

I think the reason we first became friends was because we were both the “shy kids” in the group, but oh my god were we wrong. Thank you for letting me see sides of you that I never would have imagined could exist. You are genuinely one of my favorite people in the world; you make every day so much more fun and interesting for me. I will never get tired of us sharing our horror stories about the people at school, or how badly one of us did on a science test. Thank you for everything Jadyn. Thank you for sharing a hatred of school and a love of wasabi peas with me. You’re always there for me no matter what’s happening in my life. I honestly don’t know what I would do without you.

Ashlyn Richards

Sometimes I wish that I carried around a camera with me for the sole purpose of catching every insane place you decide to take a five-second nap. It’s honestly impressive how many places you can find to take your “power naps”. You are such an amazing gymnast, and I will always be slightly jealous of your fearlessness in trying new skills. Even when you’re injured it seems like you are more annoyed to not be doing things than anything else. Hearing your stupid stories about people you know or places you’ve been are the highlight of my practices. You’ve worked through so much over the past couple of months and I am so excited to get to watch you compete this season.

Amelia Huffman

Amelia, I’ve known you for the longest of anyone on our team. You competed in my first ever meet with me as level fours, we went through COVID together, and you suffered through three years of level seven by my side. This year we’ll both be starting competitions as level eights, and I am so incredibly glad that you will be with me in this too. I am eternally grateful for everything that you put up with in our group. I know we can be annoying sometimes (a lot of the time), so thank you for still loving all of us despite that.  

The “Please Edit This” group chat

You three are the one thing keeping me from turning every assignment for this class in late. Whether it’s because of your impeccable editing skills or the endless stream of topic ideas, I feel like I should be giving at least half of the credit for every story I write to you guys. 

Addie Woltil

Thank you for always knowing when to yell at me to get a story done I time, and for correcting all of my grammar mistakes (including my weird British spellings).

Ella Peirce

Thank you for the jokes you make that get me through the class period, and for always being the first one on a google doc editing my writing. 

Ellerie Knowles 

You are such a steady presence in class; you never seem to get as stressed about anything as the rest of us do. You are such a fantastic writer and I’m so excited to read more of your work.

Muskaan Sharma

You are the one and only thing currently getting me through my Spanish class. If it weren’t for you I would die of boredom and my grade would plummet. Thank you for your fashion advice and your honest opinions about everything. Your stories are some of my favorites to listen to, and I can’t imagine how I would get through first hour without them.

Millie Alt

While, of course, we have always loved each other, I can’t quite admit that I have always liked you. But over the past couple of years, that has changed to an enormous degree. I don’t know if you realize how much you have had an impact on my life. If I could spend hours driving through the neighborhood listening to Talor Swift on full volume after football games with you, I would. There are so many things I want to thank you for, I don’t even know if I have time to write them all down. Thank you for being the one to buy books so that I don’t have to. Thank you for spending days with me fangirling over literally any and every book, movie, or show imaginable that we have both read or seen. Thank you for the library visits and trips to Schulers Books. Thank you for being two years older. Thank you for figuring out life before I have to. Thank you for making all of my future teachers like you, so they have a good first impression of me. You set the bar for me so incredibly high, and I love you so much for it. You are by far the most ambitious person I know, and you are going to do so much in your life because of it. I can tell now that you are going to accomplish every single dream you have, and I can’t wait to see you do it. Someday I’ll come to visit you in your apartment in Chicago and you’ll be too busy to hang out with me because you’re a lawyer, and never have time off. Honestly, I can’t wait for that day. Over the past few years, you have quickly become one of my favorite people in the universe. I still can’t say that every minute I spend with you is spectacular, but I love you (and like you) so much Millie, you have no idea.