May 19, 2019. The day when 164 of us come together one last time, to close the door on this particular chapter of our lives. Throughout my four years at Xavier, I have learned many lessons and I have closed many doors. As each one clicks shut and locks behind me, I have seen a myriad of doors begin to open and never once have I looked back. The most important lesson I’ve learned is that it’s okay to let things go but if you have the opportunity to try something new, DO IT!

In these four years, I have experienced many hellos and even more goodbyes, but now I can only say thank you.

Thank you to my parents, for sending me to Xavier and supporting me in everything I do. Thank you for driving me all over the Midwest for club soccer tournaments over the span of eight years. Thank you for coming to every football game for three years, rain or shine, to watch me cheer on the sideline. Thank you for supporting me and accepting me when I let things go, when I said goodbye to basketball, club soccer and senior year cheerleading. Thank you for encouraging me to get involved in things I’d never tried before like Newspaper, Speech and BPA. Thank you for instilling in me a love for travel and sending me all over the country, especially to San Francisco for the NHSJC and Dallas for BPA Nationals. Thank you for encouraging me to get a job, as I’ve met a lot of amazing people and it has expanded my horizons in ways I’d never expected. Thank you for everything you’ve taught me over my eighteen years of life, from how to walk and talk, to how to drive, and no matter what, to always have fun. Thank you for being there for me in the highs and lows, in my joys and in my tears and for every little moment in between. I love you.

Thank you to my friends, both old and new, for walking with me on the winding road that is high school, and being there for me every step of the way. Thank you for always making me laugh. Thank you for the late night FaceTimes, soccer games, Starbucks runs, summer bonfires and long drives with good music. Even though we will be all over the country next year and won’t see each other often, I’ll miss you all and I love y’all too. In the words of the Friends theme song: “I’ll be there for you, ‘cause you’re there for me too.”

This is more than a “thank you, next”. It may be a goodbye, but it’s a thank you forever.