Thank you to DECA for readily preparing me for the business world through endless relationships and opportunities. You have given me lifelong memories from SLC, ICDC Orlando, and all of our officer meetings over the past three years. Through these experiences I have picked up numerous networking skills, leadership skills, and public speaking skills that I couldn’t have learned from any other organization. I’d like to give a special thanks to “jump off the edge” for always breaking the ice and being the best and goofiest group of girls to be on this crazy journey with. Also, I’d like to thank Mr. Stodola and Mrs. Tucker for being the greatest advisors and role models a person could ask for. Mrs. Tucker, thank you for bringing an immense amount of intellect and respect to this organization, it has been a crucial part of our successes. Mr. Stodola, thank you for adding an unforgettable amount of sarcasm and humor to my high school experience. As you led our chapter through DLC, SLC, and ICDC, I had no choice but to admire your leadership as it was never drowned out by strict control or bossiness. Your patience and creativity is something I will always strive towards when I am placed in a leadership position. 

Thank you to Rock Ridge Field Hockey for teaching me what it means to have grit. Through this program I have surpassed extreme hardships and extreme victories but I am eternally grateful for all of them. Thank you for introducing me to several athletes that I would have never met otherwise. Thank you for teaching me the importance of teamwork and how to lead and teach a group of rookies. I’d like to thank my best friend Harshroop for being on this roller coaster with me. Being a captain alongside you has been crucial in improving my leadership skills and prioritizing morality in every situation. You are the reason I have stuck with this program and the backbone of our successes. 

Thank you to film_by_aly for jump starting my passion for videography and capturing my fondest memories in high school. Through these videos I have been able to encapsulate my greatest experiences I have had with my best friends, as my time as a high schooler comes to an end. These videos will help me remember the delicate moments high school held as I start my journey into adulthood. In 50 years, I will look back at them to remember my life as a carefree 17-year-old. 

Thank you to the Rock Ridge Faculty for being the most respectable group of role models a student could ask for. Without your tireless efforts and dedication to your students, I would have left high school without any teacher-student relationships. I am so thankful for their enlightenment and support because without them, I would not be the person I am today. 

Thank you to my Family for being the most supportive and loving group of people. For my mom, thank you for being my best friend and my biggest fan. Thank you for coming to every single field hockey game, spending hundreds of hours helping me with any academic endeavors, and most importantly, being a companion I could talk to whenever I needed it. For my dad, thank you for a friend as we shared our love of music and film, even though you made fun of every song I put on queue. For Andrew, thank you for being the funniest, goofiest, most obnoxious younger brother who never fails to make me laugh. Thank you for teaching me the responsibility of being an older sister and how to be a positive role model as a high schooler. 

Thank you to The Beach Group for being my second family. Thank you for always surrounding me with unconditional love and support for everything that I take part in. Thank you for dedicating your time and energy to planning Christmas parties, Easter egg hunts, birthday dinners, trips to Disney, VA beach trips, and so much more. You have made my childhood full of laughter and irreplaceable memories and I am so beyond grateful for all of you. 

Thank you to my Best Friends for being the greatest companions a girl could ask for. It has been an honor to call you all my friends throughout this rocky roller coaster that is high school. Thank you for laughing at my jokes, watching rom-coms with me, fan-girling and exploring pop culture with me, being there whenever I needed you, partaking in crazy activities with me, scream singing songs in the car with me, making me laugh until I pee, and most importantly making unforgettable memories with me. 

Last but not least, thank you to Newspaper for surrounding me with dedicated writers and artists that have opened my eyes to how powerful journalism can be. Thank you for allowing me to pick up valuable life skills that I could never learn otherwise. Thank you for improving my writing skills, communication skills, interviewing skills, photography skills, and videography skills. I am so thankful for all of the opportunities and relationships I have gained throughout my experience and I will miss it so dearly. I’d like to give a special thank you to Mrs. Greiner for being the best teacher I have ever had. Your passion and genuine love for teaching is inspiring as it directly impacts every single student you have ever had. Your ability to stay sharp with your knowledge while introducing goofy class activities is admirable and I will miss it dearly as I head off to college.

Thank you.