Yusra Sannah – for being the most comforting, wonderful person

I don’t have classes with you this year, and man, it’s a real bummer. I don’t think I have ever seen you in a bad mood. You always greet me with a smile and “helloa�� in the hallways. Back when we had classes together, and I would be having a particularly stressful or rough day, you were always so comforting and kind. And it’s not just me who’s noticed this– I can’t tell you how many people have echoed similar sentiments. So thank you for being so thoughtful and sweet. Keep being you, Yusra.

The Girls Varsity Basketball Team – for making me so proud/emotional at every single game

I adore you guys; I proudly call myself your biggest fan. I don’t know why I love watching you guys play so much– it just fills me up with so much pridea�� I think it’s a girl power thing. But it’s you guys who bring out my rare affinity for sports, and that’s certainly an accomplishment.

And you, Claire Baguely, you already know how I feel about your high school basketball career; I couldn’t be a fiercer cheerleader. Can’t wait to watch you kill it out there this year– catch me in the student section, making up for all the kids who decide they don’t care to support the girls.

Emma Yoder – for her kindness and positivity

So I guess you’re included in the above, but I couldn’t not shout you out. I fricken love Treat Fridays, and you’re awesome for doing them. Not to mention, you’re pretty great in general. Your generosity knows no bounds, and I know you’ll be continually rewarded for that in your life. Thanks for always being so positive, funny, and kind.

Rachel Thomas, Pearl Kurian, Naomi Philip – for my childhood

Oh, my lovely PIPs, how could I not include you in this? You guys are the very foundation of my childhood. 13 years is a long time for friendship. In you, I find comfort and home. Rachel, thank you for sharing a mutual obsession with so many of the same things (especially Harry Potter), feeding me so well when I come to your house, and being the most wonderful, late-night confidant. Pearl, thank you for your unending energy, making the rest of us look bad in front of our parents, and making me laugh so dang hard (come visit– I miss you!). And Naomi, thank you for hosting some pretty great parties, being so sweet, and being the smart one out of all of us. Here’s to all the Bible studies, sleepovers, dances, and countless memories.

Thank you for everything. I love you guys endlessly.

The wait staff at Olga’s and Wei Wei – for being so kind and putting up with my family

My family pretty much only goes out to eat at about five total restaurants. We’re not picky; we just know what we like. Two of those places includes Olga’s and Wei Wei, and the waitstaff there are pretty exceptional. So thank you to them, for always graciously serving my family and putting up with all of our antics. Thank you to the few kind waiters at Olga’s who still let me order from the kids’ menu, and thank you to the owner of Wei Wei, who always greets my family and I with warmth and free dim sum.

Jayla Williams & Will Clancy – for dealing with me

I had to include you guys; I love you guys. You two deal with so much from me, so thanks for that. Thank you for making me laugh, sending me weird, random texts throughout the day, and always being there for me. Thank you for picking up the pieces and putting me back together every time I shatter. You two deserve the world and so much more.

James Xu, Sarah Wordhouse, & Eddie Thomas – for absolutely bringing it in AP Lang

You all were such great partners for our presentation in Lang. I was absolutely astounded by you guys’ performances. Thanks for goofing off with me in class, and then totally giving it your all when it mattered. That victory was sweet.;)

Megan & Kaitlyn Piontkowsky – for making every class a little bit more fun

You two are hilarious. I love having classes with you two; they’re always just a little more enjoyable with either of you in it. So thank you for that. And thank you for entertaining me every morning in chem with the assorted cups from various fast food restaurants; it makes me giggle. Also, special shoutout to Kaitlin for staying in Spanish with me (we’ll make it through).

My cat Molly – for being the actual love of my life

Technically, she’s not a person, but in my heart she is. Molly makes me so so very happy. I have never loved so absolutely or purely. I always adored animals, but I never understood people’s love for their pets. Now, I get it. So Molly, thank you for being the purest thing in this world and making me smile so much.

Mr. Bedi & Mrs. Lass – for being my beginning

The entire point of this series is to thank those in our lives who may not know how much we truly appreciate them. When this idea was proposed, all the teachers I adore immediately came to mind. In all of my school career, especially during my time in high school, I have been blessed with so many incredible teachers. I pray my teachers understand the depth of my gratitude, but because I can’t include them all, I had to narrow it down. So, I decided to take it back to the very beginning.

Mr. Bedi, you were the very first teacher I ever loved (you have no idea what you started). Thank you for showing me what a good teacher was supposed to be. Thank you for teaching me about things inside and outside of the classroom; I learned so much from you. Thank you for being so perpetually kind and providing little first grade me with so much guidance. And of course, thanks for getting me on TV; “Cool Teacher” was pretty much the peak of my life. 🙂

Mrs. Lass, you and your eccentric outfits were the light of my third grade. Your effervescent personality, humor, and teaching style were exactly what I needed back then. Thank you for seating me next to my two best friends for the entire year, and being an all-around wonderful teacher. But most of all, thank you for being one of the best English teachers. You were the first person to tell me I could write. You are the reason I devoted myself so passionately to all things books and words and English. You are the reason I’ve tried to write a book four times. You are the reason I’m sitting here writing this as the Editor in Chief of The Central Trend. Thank you, thank you, thank you.