To my cousin Ashlyn, for being my biggest inspiration:

Although we don’t even live in the same state, I never ever feel distant from you. You are by far the person who makes me feel the most comfortable being myself. I love you more than words could ever say. I love all of my cousins, obviously, but we have always had our own thing; we always chose each other first. Every day I’m not with you, I miss you, which is why I cherish the times we get together for Thanksgiving and Christmas break. Thank you for always playing my favorite boring card games with me and being my partner for a game even when I’m not good at it. You, as a person, have taught me so much, and I will forever take your advice on anything and everything. To me, you will always be the person who knows best.

To my sister Avery, for being my best friend in the whole world:

Although we are now miles away from each other instead of a door away, I know I can always go to you whenever I need to. I could not think of anyone else to call my sister besides you. You have done so much for me while we grew up together, and I am forever grateful for that, even if I don’t always show it. My whole world would crumble without you by my side, so thank you for always being there. 

To my Grandma and Grandpa, for always supporting me:

Grandma, you don’t realize the amount of love I have for you. You are the sweetest soul I have ever met, and you never fail to put a smile on my face. Grandpa, the lessons that you have taught me throughout my life are the most valuable ones. Thank you for being stern when I needed you to but also for supporting me when it mattered the most. I love you both unconditionally, forever and always. 

To my Mom and Dad for giving me so many opportunities:

Thank you, Mom, for all you do for me; you will never understand how much I really appreciate everything you’ve brought into my life, from supporting my obsession with horses when I was young to helping me in all of my sports decisions. I love you more than you know. To Dad, for always being my comedic relief in any situation. Although the dad jokes get really old and unfunny, I still appreciate you for trying to make me laugh every day.

To Maya, for being my favorite person:

Even though you came into my life a little bit later, in fifth grade, we have been inseparable ever since. It started with our shared love of horses and then continued through our passion for volleyball. Now, we go to different schools and play different sports, but through it all, we have never stopped being best friends. You are always there for me more than anyone else, and you are such a loving and caring person who I don’t have a single bad thing to say about. You are the perfect best friend. So, thank you for being the person I can always rely on. Our friendship will always have a special place in my heart.

To Mia, for being my lifelong bestie :

We laugh together, we cry together, and we get annoyed at each other, but above all, we go through life together. You have been there since kindergarten and have stuck with me through it all. You are one of the funniest people I know, and pretty, not only on the inside but definitely on the outside as well. I love you even when I’m mad at you or annoyed at you, and you do the same for me. You always make me feel better, and you always know how to make me laugh. I love sharing secrets and having sleepovers practically every weekend. If our parents think we hang out a lot now, just wait until we can drive. Thank you for being the bestest friend through it all.

To Cece, for coming into my life when I needed you most:

Although we met in fifth grade, we really formed a friendship in seventh grade. All of those birthday party invites from you kept us friends and helped us reconnect every year. In middle school, we went through our awkward phases together, and I’m forever glad that you were the person I went through it with. I love all of the inside jokes we create from stupid things and our deep, middle-of-the-night conversations. You are like a ray of sunshine in my life, and I will never be able to represent happiness the way you do. Thank you for being there through thick and thin, and thank you for being my best friend after everything.

To Abby, for being me in a different font:

You and I are literally the same person, and I love that. I can relate to you on insane levels; we match each other’s energy well. Thank you for always picking me up and driving us around whenever I ask, and thank you for taking me to McDonalds when I’m hungry. A friend like you is really what I have been needing this year. You make me laugh so hard I stop breathing for a minute, and every time I see you, there is this bubbly essence that you give off. Thank you for being so positive and funny, but mostly, thank you for getting to know me this year. I can’t wait for many more years of friendship with you.

To Kylin, for being the sunshine on cloudy days:

I don’t even know where to start with this one. You have such a beautiful soul and a huge heart. You are the person I go to when I need comfort and reassurance, and you always make me feel so safe. Being around you is like being by the sun, such a beautiful, bright light radiating all of your energy into others. You mean so much to me, and there are no words to describe how grateful I am that you walked into my life. When my mental health is bad, you are there to ease the pain, whether that is through volleyball, school, drama, or just life in general. I love you so much, and I’m so thankful that I have the privilege of having you around.

To Aubrey, for tolerating me:

I love it when you watch scary movies with me. It is one of our favorite things to do together. But I love it even more when we can binge-watch shows together, like The Vampire Diaries. We bond over the things that happen on a TV screen, and that’s something I don’t do with anybody else. I love it when we take turns drawing on each other’s arms and literally any time we hang out. You are so funny, and being around you is such a joy. Thank you for letting me be weird and not judging me for it. I love you, but not as much as I love the movie Old People.

To Josie, for being my favorite junior:

I am so grateful for Mr. Pierce’s social psychology class because that is where I met you last year. Ever since then, we have stayed friends, and that is so special. It is funny how just one class can create such a memorable friendship. You are so funny, and I love our late-night drives. I love to sit in parking lots with you and talk about life and debrief. Thank you for coming over to my house when I was scared because I was spending the night alone, and we watched the movie To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. That was such a fun night, and I won’t forget it. Thank you for never saying no to a sweet treat with me; I’m so grateful for you.

To Luna, Lucy, and Ruby for being the best pets I could ask for:

Thank you for being the best pets in the entire world. To Luna, for always greeting me at the door and making my bad days just a little better. To Lucy, for being the cutest dog that I can cuddle whenever I want to. Thank you for being so tolerant of me when I carry you everywhere. And, of course, to my cat Ruby for being the best companion. Thank you for always being on my bed when I come home from school and sleeping with me at night. You are the first thing I see when I wake up and the last thing I see when I go to bed. Although you are getting older, your young soul never fails to shine through.

To Leah, for being my comedic relief:

You are so funny, and I laugh so hard whenever I’m around you. Your laugh is so contagious, and whenever we make jokes, we die laughing even if they aren’t funny. I love our inside jokes and the way we can make any situation hilarious. Mr. Pierce’s Geometry class holds so many memories already, even though the semester isn’t even over yet. Thank you for helping me when I’m struggling in math and can’t figure out the proofs for my life. Thank you for being the reason for my success in math; I could not have done the homework without your help.

To Libby, for becoming close with me so fast:

Thank goodness for volleyball season because otherwise, I don’t know if we would have gotten as close. Thank you for doing things for me when you don’t want to, such as going to a lip sync practice (I know you had fun). Thank you for listening to my problems even though they annoy you and probably drive you crazy. Thank you for always being my partner in history and making me laugh so hard. You are so funny and pretty, and I can’t wait for many more memories to be made with you. Thank you for giving a new friendship a chance, I love you spice ball.

To Kenzie, for letting me ride with you in “The Egg:”

I love the egg (Peggy), but I love you so much more. You are so funny and sweet, and I love it when we have sleepovers. You are always so fun to hang out with. I love our deep talks in the egg (your car, for those who don’t know) and how we can share secrets and know that we can trust each other with that kind of information. Thank you for becoming closer to me over volleyball season and being the funniest teammate. I’m so thankful for our friendship and how even if we don’t hang out for months, it is never awkward between us.

Thank you, Emma K, for being the funniest person I know. Thank you, Ren, for always being someone to include me and also being my math partner. Thank you, Teagan, for letting me talk to you about all of my problems. Thank you, Sawyer, for helping me learn tennis even though I make it super difficult. Thank you, Cora, Katty, and Kellan, for sitting in the hallway and working with me during TCT. Thank you, Lydia, for always holding the door for me when my lunch gets dropped off at school (which happens at least twice a week). Thank you, Addie O, for whispering jokes to me in the middle of class whenever anything is remotely funny. Thank you, Kayla, for being such a sweet person and somebody who could make me laugh. And last but certainly not least, thank you, Mr. George, for always hyping me up and being my favorite teacher.

I am so thankful for every person in my life; they have all had an impact on me. Every person in my life is such a blessing, and I could not be happier with the amount of love and support I am blessed with. Even if you aren’t here, know that I am thankful for you, and I love each and every one of my friends and family that I have in my life.