This is the hardest article I have ever had to write, because I’m going to talk about myself. First, I want to say thank you to all the wonderful people at Xavier that I have come to know over the past four years, you guys truly made coming to school a whole lot more fun. Secondly, I want to thank my parents for being there for me, for supporting me in all of my efforts, and for another reason, that requires a little more explanation.

As some of you may be aware near the beginning of senior year, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. While this brought a lot of negatives, I want to share some positives, because those are what I want to be remembered.

Mainly, I want to say thank you to my mom for staying positive and showing incredible strength that inspired me in my own life. You inspired me to pursue my goals in many things, to try out new things like joining the swim team and taught me things about bravery that I will never forget.

Next, I want to say thank you to my dad for keeping my family going by going above and beyond in all he did for us every single day. Also, for showing an extraordinary example of what it means to be supportive in a relationship, a lesson I will carry for the rest of my life.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to all of the other people in my life because, whether you knew or not about my mom’s situation, you boosted me up through your conversations, laughter and general good spirit. It’s the reason why I decided not to tell nearly anyone at school, because it was the place I could put it off my mind the most. I only write about it now to share my gratitude and one other thing.

It was a hard journey, but my mom was fortunate, and at the end of the summer, I will not only get to celebrate my high school graduation, but the end of her final chemo treatment!