Page 86 - 2019 Senior Will

wonderful this band was. The amazing staff members that made sure we all made welcome, especially Kit Husted, who took me under her wing herself and made sure that I was okay when I was struggling, and Katie Chambers, my amazing Staff Buddy who kept an eye on me even after my rookie season ended, showed me that this band was something I needed to keep doing every year until I graduated. And let me tell you, four years has certainly flown by. And there are several people (remaining in the band at least) that I have things to say to.
Emma Leefeldt and Jenny Armistead: I’m not sure Jim knew what he was doing that day when he decided to put me and Emma at the same drum, but I have to thank him for leading me to two of the most amazing people and to two people who have become two of my best friends. You two have been here for me through my rebuilding myself, and I couldn’t have asked for anyone more supportive. You came to me when I needed a person most, and instead of God answering my prayers and giving me just one person, He gave me two. Jenny: you do not give yourself nearly enough credit. You are a smart and talented girl, and you are worth way more than you give yourself credit for. Stop looking down on yourself and keep your head up. You deserve better than you allow yourself to have. You’re going to do great things with that vocal degree and change people’s lives with music therapy. People like us will have someone like you in their corner, and that will save lives, I’m sure of it. Emma: You are so smart and you’re going to do great thing’s someday with that neuroscience degree. I hope you start to have more confidence in yourself because you are gonna be amazing. Do the research and discover something great. And if you decide to go PreMed, I have the utmost faith that you can do it. Things are hard for you, life is hard for you , and I am so proud that you have fought so hard and been so strong, and I hope that you know that I will ALWAYS be here for you. I’ll always be here for you both. But both of you should know that you should never ever give up on anything, because there is always a chance that things will get easier, in every aspect. Both of you: mental health is the most important part of life, and you don’t always have to be alone in it. Don’t push it to the side because you think that that is what you should do, because you need to take care of yourselves.
Ven Benedict: You are the kind of friend that every person should have in their life. You’re loyal, you’re kind, you’re compassionate, and you go out of your way to make sure that the people you love are okay, even if it means putting aside your own feelings to do it. That is the kind of person everyone should aspire to be, because if everyone was that way, there would be much more happiness. You have not had the easiest life, and you continue to keep your head up even when life is beating you down. That is something I could stand to learn from you. You are just one of those people that keeps fighting and keeps scrapping even when you are down. Maybe it’s the Delmar in you. Or the Salisbury. Either way, it seems to be something else people need to learn from you. You are a brilliant human, and you are never embarrassed in who you are, and that is admirable. Never be ashamed to be different and never be ashamed of who you are, because uniqueness makes life much more fun. Don’t be Spongebob. “I am normal” is not enjoyable as he’s shown. The only advice I have is, don’t be afraid to go against what someone says. You like to keep everyone happy, and sometimes it IS about you. Sometimes you SHOULD contradict a person if what they are doing is preventing you from attaining happiness. Don’t just try to please everyone, worry about you first. I’m gonna miss you next year, but I will make sure to come back to visit you and Jenny and Emma. Keep trucking on.
Bri Licciardi: We made it. We did it. We started out with one simple interaction. Me opening the door and saying “You’re short”. I clearly have excellent social skills. Choosing you as my roommate freshman year is one of the best choices that I could have made going into college, because picking you as my roommate gained me an amazing friend that I’ve managed to keep through all of college. So many good stories (and stories that shouldn’t be repeated) have come from