To Mom and Dad: for handing me the world and giving me the courage to take it 

Mom and Dad, I would be lying if I said I would be anything without you guys. You have given me more than I could have ever asked for and I could never thank you enough for it. Thank you both for being my biggest supporters and showing up no matter what, even if it meant driving hours away every weekend for volleyball tournaments. Thank you for the endless amount of encouragement and for always reminding me that everything is okay and that you are proud of where I’m going. Mom, thank you for your sacrifices. You have never hesitated to drop everything even if it was to do something as simple as wipe my tears and put a smile on my face. Thank you for holding me while I cried, and for finding ways to comfort me even if nothing works. You have and will always be my biggest defender and will always be my call to fight the battles that I can’t. Dad, thank you for teaching me how to walk on my own. I am who I am because of you, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Thank you for always telling me “You got it” and for reassuring me that you got me when I don’t have myself. Thank you for staying awake until I get home, even if I don’t walk through the front door til the next day, and for calling to make sure I got to my destination safely. You will always be the reason I can carry what I can and I will always be looking up in the stands, no matter where it is, for your nods of approval.  Mom and Dad, I love you both more than you will ever know, and I thank you for being my best friends.

To FHCVB: for being my home away from home 

I could not have asked for a better group of people to spend the past four months of my life with. Being a part of this team has given me so much, and I cannot fully express how much you all mean to me. The impact each one of you has had on my life is something that I truly cherish and am 

beyond grateful for. Thank you all for making every late night not so long, every early morning not so exhausting, every practice enjoyable in some sort of way, and every sprint not so miserable.

Thank you for all of the laughs and all of the tears. Thank you for giving me a place to come and be myself, and a beacon of peace and calmness after a storm of a day. Thank you all for being more than just 15 players in the gym, but a family to me. I love each and every one of you more than you will ever know and I am so so thankful to have you all in my life.

To Heather Ringel: for the past five years

I remember walking into lunch one day and being genuinely confused as to why you were sitting at my table. I had no clue who you were or why you were sitting with my friends and me, but now, looking back five years later, you have grown to be one of the most important people in my life. You have become someone, who despite everything between us, has always been there. You’ve witnessed every part of my life, and you know me in ways other people will never understand, and I am so thankful that I have gotten to share my life with you. Thank you for all of the adventures. Whether it’s through the isles of Target at random hours or trips across the country that have been written through your mom’s Facebook page, there is no one else I’d rather see the world with. Thank you for all of the shared ambitions. The number of ideas we’ve come up with and bucket lists we’ve made is genuinely insane, and although we have yet to cross everything off our list, sharing that with you is something I love. Thank you for all of the times we’ve laughed so hard we ended up rolling on the floor as we gasped for air saying we couldn’t breathe. Thank you for end of the end-of-the-day debriefs where we go from the parking to Starbucks to Panera, because we “have to get homework done,” but all we end up doing is sitting and ranting about anything and everything. Thank you for listening to me talk about the same things over and over no matter how redundant it gets. Thank you for all the advice, the support, the encouragement, and for allowing me to be every part of myself without any judgment. Thank you for being my best friend, I love you and am more than thankful that you are a part of my life.

To Hailee Chopp: for laughing with me 

Our random drives with no destination have become therapy sessions to complain about the countless things that we probably don’t (but in reality, it’s required that we do) need to be complaining about. These talks usually result in you cracking an out-of-pocket joke that causes you to lose track of the conversation, leaving me to give in and laugh with you. Your laugh is contagious. Very contagious. And while we are two of the most unproductive people when we are together, the contagious laughter that you cause is something that makes me so thankful to have you in my life. 

To Keegan Redmond: for listening to my endless amount of everything 

I feel like the majority of our conversations start with one of us going up to the other and the first words that come out of our mouths are a slight yell. Whether you know what I’m talking about or not when I start spitting everything out, you still manage to be present and be someone for me to tell it all to, and somehow make me laugh over a joke you snuck into whatever situation I bring up. Thank you for listening. Whether it’s me complaining about school, something small and insignificant, or insignificant boy drama, I am very thankful that you are someone whom I can tell random blobs of all of this. 

To the group chat: for everything 

I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to spend my time with. To all of you, thank you for always being there no matter what. Thank you for supporting my irrational decisions and for going along with the spontaneous decisions. Thank you for all of the late-night food runs and endless drives with no destination, for all of the laughs even though we never know what we are laughing about, and for all of the endless debriefs that consume our nights. Thank you for sticking around over the years and for being my best friends. I love you all and am so thankful for the impact you’ve all had on my life.

To my siblings: for making my life interesting 

I used to say I wish I was an only child, and I’m not gonna lie at times this wish is still existent, but without the three of you, my life would be a series of neutral colors. Thank you for being my built-in best friends growing up and for always being there. Thank you for all of the living room forts and late-night movies. Thank you for all of the endless basketball games, playing til the sun went down and arguing over who really won. Thank you for making family trips an adventure and family gatherings more entertaining. Even though many our our interactions usually ended with us chasing each other around the kitchen til Mom told us to stop, things like these are what’s made me thankful that I am not an only child. To all three of you, thank you for bringing some color to my life.