TCT’s The Countless Thanks 2019: Jordan Helmbrecht

1. My four best friends – for sticking by my side forever and always

Since day one of high school, and even before then, you guys have been there to make me smile, laugh, and just make my days—and my life—better. Spending nearly every day of the last four years together has made me realize how incredibly blessed I really am. You guys are there to build me up when I’m broken, to give me the hug I so badly need,  to make me laugh a painful amount—until tears are streaming from my eyes because I am laughing so hard—to go on crazy adventures with me and make endless memories. You four are always, I mean always, by my side, and it means the world to me. Day by day, we have become part of each other, transformed a little bit into one another, and made each other into the people we are today. You guys have made such a positive and important impact in my life, and I am honestly incredibly terrified for college because I have no idea what I am going to do without my four best friends by my side. But, hey, however many miles we end up apart has nothing on us and the friendships we’ve built. So Hannah, Annabel, Jenny, Ella—thank you for being the most amazing best friends. You four deserve the absolute world; don’t ever forget that.

Theresa and Spencer Helmbrecht (Mom and Dad) – for making me who I am today

It would be impossible to explain in such few words how thankful I am for you guys. You two have helped me in each step of life, literally. You both have helped me stay strong through the tornado of chaos that life has been. You have helped me grow through each mistake I have made. You have shown me the right and wrong things within this world. You have raised me to be the person I am today and taught me how to make a positive impact. And, you’ve opened my eyes to the fact that the possibilities of life are endless. Most importantly, you’ve given me a feeling of comfort that cannot be replaced—you’ve given me a promise that no matter what happens, I will always have your arms to fall back into, and that, that means the world to me. I could go on endlessly about how you have made me who I am today, but for now, I just want to thank you for being the strongest, most extraordinary parents out there.

Suchir Gupta – for pushing me to be my best

Thank you for being someone who never made me feel like I wasn’t good enough or smart enough. Since sixth grade, you have been there in my classes to motivate me and push me to be the best student I could be. Whether you knew it or not, always trying to keep up with you in class pushed me to become the best student I could be. Even though we are most definitely not on the same intelligence scale in all fields—you’re already taken every single math class that exists—you always treated me like we were, and even though you may not have known it, that meant so much to me. You’ve always made me feel like I am worthy of what I am doing, and that’s something not a lot of people can offer someone. So, Sush, thank you for making me laugh, for being my buddy since sixth grade, for pushing me to do my best in school, for helping me when I needed it, and for never failing to put a smile on my face. You’re such a positive anomaly in the world of high schoolers.

Lisa Penninga – for always bringing positivity into my life

Thank you for being one of the only people I know that is constantly emanating positivity, even when you aren’t feeling it. Ever since the day I met you, I have seen you bring happiness to hundreds of kids, including me. Freshmen year, you made the dreadful days bearable because I would always look forward to seeing your smiling face. From then on, whether it was the run-ins in the halls or my quick visits into your classroom, I would always feel happier after seeing you. You made learning something I enjoyed doing, you made me love reading, and you gave me more passion in the things I do through your constant ability to just be happy. So thank you for being the sweetest, most heartwarming person I know. You’re caring smile and unbroken positivity has the ability to turn people’s bad days around. 

Kelsey Toole – for getting me through high school

Thank you for struggling through high school with me. Since freshman year, we have had several classes together, and difficult ones at that, and you have always been there to get through them with me. From having a blast in Mrs. Lipke’s Algebra One class, to breaking out crying while doubling up in Geometry and Algebra Two in Garb’s class, and finally, to doing our best together to somehow make it through AP Calc with Mr. Smith, you have always been there to make me feel like I wasn’t alone and that I would get through each quiz and test. You and our friendship has helped me through each year of high school, and I don’t think I could’ve made it through all of the high school struggles without you. You’ve been there to help me, to struggle with me, to cry with me, and to succeed with me, and I cannot thank you enough for that. You are a truly amazing friend, and I can’t imagine how I would’ve gotten through high school without you. Don’t ever forget how much of an intelligent and incredible person you are.

Mr. Smith – for dealing with my craziness

I can’t say how thankful I am that you constantly put up with my craziness. Whether it is the AP Calculus breakdowns or the AP Computer Science confusions, you constantly deal with my very “out-there” personality. Thank you for helping me when I need it, even when I need it at the most inconvenient times. Thank you for asking me what I am confused about when I yell something random out in the middle of class instead of getting mad about the insaneness of it. And thank you for dealing with my loudness and my billions of questions I constantly have. I wouldn’t be the student I am this year without your help, and I would be utterly failing AP Calculus without the individual care you offer your students so that we can be successful. So, thank you for putting up with me every day; I genuinely enjoy learning in your classes. You are truly one of the brightest, most intelligent people I have ever met. 

Natalie Mix – for just being you

Stepping into Mr. George’s Writing for Publication class last year, I had no idea I would be meeting a friend like you. From the moment I met you, I knew how amazingly talented you were. Your writing is its own unique, powerful, enthralling thing, and I want to thank you for letting me read it. I remember sitting at a table across for you, and day by day, we became closer and closer, we got to know each other more and more. And as I got to know you more, I began to just love who you are. You are such a genuine, caring, kindhearted human, and I enjoy every second of being around you. We both would relate on our struggles last year, and the remarks you would make always brought a smile to my face. It’s quite rare to meet such a genuine person these days, but you brought a whole new light to my school days. You constantly have a million things in your life going on at once, but you still somehow manage to bring a sense of happiness to your encounters with people every day. You are an absolutely incredible writer and an extremely benevolent person. So thank you for just being who you are because you are such a one-of-a-kind, lovely human being.