To Ella Peirce, for being the Taylor Swift to my Lana Del Rey

I’m so glad that I can say that we have been best friends since kindergarten. You’ve really been there for every single thing I’ve gone through in the past ten years of my life and I’m glad I have someone who knows me so well.

Even though we rarely see each other at school, I know that trivial roadblocks like class schedules will never have an effect on our friendship. I’m glad that we often think on very similar wavelengths, on serious matters at least, so I know that if I have to rant about an issue or ask for advice you will listen to me and give me logical advice. Thank you for always being (sometimes brutally) honest with me; I know that I can go to you whenever I need a straightforward opinion. I’m sorry that I don’t always answer your Facetime calls, but know that when I do, I really enjoy them, even if I was previously in the middle of watching a movie. I’m grateful that we have gotten to do so many things together over the years, ranging from youth cheerleading to Lifeline Snow Camp to attending concerts. Thank you for our friendship and the memories we have made together.

To Chloe Cox, for being my telepathic best friend

Starting from Ms. Turcotte’s fifth-grade class, when we both got placed in the advanced readers’ book club group to read that horribly boring book about the raccoon and the man in the woods, Rascal, I knew that we were extremely compatible. Our personalities may be contrasting, but we exemplify similar morals, just in different ways. I doubt I will ever be as extraverted as you are, nor will I ever have such a passion for Hispanic pop music and the Lord of the Rings saga, but I know that we care about the same things when it comes to serious topics. You are undoubtedly the most hardworking person that I know; I cannot count the number of times that we have proofread each other’s papers, or, on our beloved fifth and sixth-grade bus rides, checked our homework answers together before school. You’ve definitely helped me score higher on countless assessments, and I hope that I have been able to assist you to a similar extent. Even though this sounds cliché, you can almost always make me smile if I’m having a subpar day. Because of my tendency to exaggerate the negative aspects of a situation, the optimism that you bring to conversations is much needed (and much appreciated). The little things you do, like using extensive hyperboles and fixating on traveling to the ethereal spots of northern Europe, may go unnoticed by most people, but they make me laugh nonetheless. I’m so thankful that you moved here from California and, even though our college ambitions will most likely take us to separate regions of the country, I sincerely hope that we will end up living near each other for the rest of our lives. 

To Autumn VanSolkema, for forever making me laugh

Thank you for the ten-year friendship we have; I’ve loved growing up across the street from you. I could probably write sixty pages about all of my favorite memories I have with you, but I will try my best to keep it brief. We have been friends for such an extensive period that you know how to make me laugh harder than anyone else, whether that be because of odd candid pictures you take, movie references you repeat, or unconventional sayings you have implemented into your vocabulary. I’m grateful for the colossal library of inside jokes we have created that make me smile. Some of my favorites originated from all of the “movies” we directed and acted in on your old family video camera (the plot lines and characters, I will not be naming specifically in this piece). I love that we have been able to spend countless hours playing “house” and “car-chase” on your PlayStation’s Lego Marvel Super Heros. I’m also thankful that during quarantine in 2020, we were able to play Just Dance, watch movies, and draw on Facetime, even though we weren’t together in person. I’m grateful that we have gotten to go on so many trips together, whether they have been day trips or weeklong excursions. I enjoyed our 2021 Branson trip and meeting the kid whose grandpa had to “dig him out from underground with a shovel,” among other moments. Of course, I also very much appreciated the other travels around Michigan we have gone on together such as those to Mackinac Island, musical shows downtown Grand Rapids, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Even on our daily eight-minute car rides to and from school and cheer, I appreciate the time that we are able to spend together. Thank you for staging countless photoshoots with me when we were children and, to this day, still being my personal photographer at times. I’m so grateful that even though it has been a decade, our friendship has continued to grow and I can call you a best friend. 

To Ally Samuels, for being my coffee and cards buddy

I’m very thankful that I was able to grow up with you as my neighbor. 

Even though there is a three-year age difference between us, I have never felt like that prevented us from becoming close, as it definitely could have. I’m so grateful that we spent our childhood summers together making edible slime, playing Disney Infinity, swimming at MVP, and communicating via walkie-talkies. One of my favorite comfort memories is building cities together on Minecraft in your bedroom during summer mornings when we were in elementary school. I’m grateful that we have been able to develop a love for card games together, and that you, Autumn, and I have formed a trio of Five Crowns enthusiasts. I enjoy our car coffee dates and am very glad that your being in college hasn’t hindered those excursions. Thank you for all the coffee, jokes, and friendship you have provided me with over the years.

To my friends, for making me smile

I’m thankful for all of my friends that I have been able to make over the years who have helped me survive my school years. Victoria Chiaburu, thank you for making irrational collegiate plans with me. I love that I can bounce my far-fetched ideas off of you, even if our academic habits will never align. Starting from 5th grade, I’m grateful for the abundance of classes that we have endured together including Mr. Deboer’s challenge social studies, Ms. Gallert’s Algebra, and, currently, AP Seminar. Sometimes your uncalled-for opinions surprise me, but I’m glad you share some of them with me because they are usually hilarious. 

Allison Meny, I’m grateful that I have you to chat with at lunch. Thank you for making me laugh with the little things that you do and say, like telling us what your hair stylist thinks we should do for homecoming dinner reservations. Ian Tyrrell, even though you support certain fast-fashion companies that you know I oppose, I’m thankful that we have been able to become closer friends this year. You’re my favorite Lana Del Rey fan and I enjoy conversing with you about random pop culture references (among other things). Thank you to all of the other important people who I have continued to stay friends with including Maggie Holt and the people who I have met and grown closer with this year like Addie Woltil and Lily McMartin. 

To my unproductive English group, for making me cry 

Even though there have been frustrations and “differing” work ethic disagreements, thank you to my English table, consisting of Autumn, Victoria, and Sydney Kerr. I cannot remember a time when I laughed harder than when we bonded over our opinions on some of the PT 1 presentation day events. Even though I know we all aggravate each other at times, I’m thankful that I ended up in a class with the three of you. 

To my family, for being there for me

Mom, thank you for everything that you do for me. I appreciate the countless rides that you give me even when you have numerous other things you could be doing instead, the meals that you especially cook because you know that I like them, all the clothes and items you purchase for me, and the innumerable other things. Dad, thank you for teaching me new facts, whether they be about United States history or seemingly arbitrary trivia knowledge, watching Jeopardy! with me, taking me thrifting, and helping me study. 

Ruby and Maddie, thank you for being the best cousins I could ask for. Ruby, thank you for making me laugh, introducing me to superior music, doing my makeup better than anyone else, and being my aesthetic inspiration in everything from social media posts to the art you create. Maddie, thank you for being really funny and weird, inspiring me to re-dive into my casual interest in biking, and being, in a positive way, my opposite.

I miss you guys so much, but I’m grateful for the limited time that we had together last summer. Thank you to my Aunt Melissa, for supporting me and texting me for football updates every Friday, and my Aunt Ami, for hosting Ruby, Maddie, and I and letting us drive your golf cart around. Though I am not going to list every name, I’m thankful for all my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and other family members who care about me.

To cheerleading, for giving me a sport I love

Having begun to cheer in fourth grade, I’m thankful that I’ve been able to be a part of the FHC cheerleading program for such a long time. 

I love cheering on the sidelines each fall and I enjoy the limited competitive cheerleading experience that I have had. I’m grateful for the people I have met in the past two seasons on the varsity team including Lauren Lutz. Even though the competitive cheer season started very recently, I’m grateful for that team as well. I’m also thankful for the 4th-grade youth cheerleaders that I got to coach this season, even though waking up at 7 AM every Saturday morning was not always fun in the moment. 

To my teachers, for making classes enjoyable

I generally enjoy the majority of my classes this year, even though they require a substantial amount of homework, and I thank my teachers for making these classes entertaining. Thank you to Mr. Labenz for making APUSH interesting even though US history can sometimes seem like a dull subject to study. Thank you to all my other teachers including Mr. George and Mr. Pierce (even though I’m not in any of your classes anymore).