ABBIE MILLER
Editor-in-Chief
I am graduating. I’m graduating? Wow, I am graduating.
I oscillate between these states of intense excitement, disbelief and nervousness almost every day now, but it’s finally starting to kick in.
I will end my time at this school with final projects that will be the direct result of me eating the most highly processed food available and locking myself in a study room at Reed Library.
But before I walk across that stage and turn that tassel, I’d like to show some gratitude towards the people who have gotten me where I am today.
Thank you to my sister Maddie. You are the person that I look up to most in the world. I smile when people tell me that I look like you or that I remind them of you because that is the highest form of compliment to exist. You give me hope when I have none left. I am constantly counting down the time left until I get to see you again. Growing up with you was the best experience of my life. You will forever be close to my heart and never far from my thoughts. There is no me without you.
Thank you to my parents. Everything that I do, I do for you. You are the driving force behind every accomplishment that I have ever achieved, and the reasoning behind every piece of success that awaits me. You have shown me that genuine love is unconditional.
To my mom, you have taught me that there should be no limits to kindness. You have given me my love for writing, editing and journalism, skills which I’ve been lucky enough to use throughout my time at The Leader and in college as a whole. You inspire me endlessly to work my hardest but also to take care of myself while doing it. You have shown me that there are things that are worth fighting for and that every battle does not have to be won in order to be useful and necessary.
To my dad, you have taught me that there is strength in vulnerability. You have taught me to know my worth and not to bend my standards for the sake of others’ comfort. You have given me a perspective of every way I’m lucky without ever having discounted or blamed me for the moments where I have forgotten this. You have been gentle with me at times when I could not seem to muster that for myself, comforting me and soothing my self-doubts.
Thank you to my best friend Emily. I owe the majority of my happiness at this school to you. Meeting you has changed my life in more ways than one. I now have someone whom I am comfortable sharing everything with, and who knows all of my thoughts before they ever even leave my mouth. You are the light that has guided me through every dark and winding tunnel, gently showing me the way when I cannot see it for myself. Your encouragement of me comes so naturally that it seems foolish of me to doubt its truth, a fact that has grown my confidence tremendously. Despite seeing each other almost every single day for three years, I still haven’t gotten sick of you. I don’t think I ever will. You are a joy to be around in every possible way, and I couldn’t have gotten through what I have without you.
Thank you to my grandparents. The love and support that you have shown me is something that I will hold onto as I embark into the world of law school. You have shown me what it means to be yourself unapologetically and without shame, and to embrace every part of yourself — something which I work every day to embody as well as the two of you do.
Thank you to Elmer and Chloe. At every step of my journey at The Leader, you both have believed in me and shown me that I am capable of more than I sometimes give myself credit for. In truth, I was very, very nervous to become the Editor-in-Chief. I was very, very nervous to become the Managing Editor. And I was very, very nervous to become the News Editor. But every time that I would find myself overthinking all of the reasons why I believed myself to be incapable, Chloe and Elmer would pull me out of the spiral I was in and remind me why I was at The Leader in the first place. I may not ever understand the potential you saw in me, but the two of you will always have a place in my heart for helping to nurture and allowing me to become who I am today, both literally and metaphorically.
Thank you to my boss, Jake. You seem to always know the second that I need a pick-me-up, which you offer without ever asking for anything in return. It has been a genuine joy to work under you and to get to know you. You have given me invaluable insight into what it means to be successful both within Fredonia and outside of it, and I respect and admire you immensely.
Thank you to my Leader family. Yes, we sometimes have disagreements. Yes, there are times when I need to remind y’all of your responsibilities so that they get completed. But just like every family, we go through our ups and downs together. And we end up even better for them on the other side.
Thank you to every negative experience that I’ve had while at this school. You would think that I was back in middle school the way I have been crashing out at Fredonia. But at the same time, every piece of bad news that I’ve received and every unfortunate circumstance that I’ve been subjected to have led me to where I am today.
There are some individuals who come into your life for a purpose — to connect you with others, or to show you your worth, or to teach you that love isn’t always enough. And there are some things that happen for no reason, but which can strengthen you in different ways.
It didn’t take my mom getting cancer for me to realize that life is precious, but now I have a greater appreciation for time.
I was well aware that sometimes you are treated the worst by those to whom you give the most, but now I can recognize this happening earlier rather than later.
My understanding of the concept of work-life balance and the need to process things on your own time had started to set in by the time that I entered Fredonia, but now these skills are impenetrable.
I owe all of this growth to the rough patches that I’ve gone through while at this college.
I have no doubt that the next chapter of my life will be just as eventful as this past one. But with the love that I have received from each of these people and the growth that I have undergone from each of these experiences, I know I can make it through anything and accomplish everything.