There are so many words I could use to describe the women of Alpha Delta Pi. They are my dinner dates, my shotgun riders, and my karaoke partners. They are my role models and my secret-keepers. They are the first people I come to on a bad day and the first ones that I want to celebrate my victories with. The women in this chapter are my best friends. They are truly my sisters. But for my fellow seniors, there is one more word that feels particularly fitting: you all are my heroes.

Whether it’s Gracey or Savanna’s brains, Marlie’s warmth, MacKe’s fashion sense or Kristen’s smile, each of you are an inspiration in a million little ways. I am convinced that if everyone on earth could have even half of Sydney Cassady’s sense of humor or a tenth of Rosie B’s generosity, this world would be a vastly better place. There are so many things that I admire about each of you, and I am so beyond lucky that I get to share them with you. Alli, the girl who truly does it all. Between the dance team and ADPi and kicking butt in school, the fact that you also make time to be a great friend shows just how very much you care. We are lucky to have you as a part of this chapter.

Alyssa, your gentle spirit and kind heart are going to make you the BEST nurse. I’m so excited to watch you thrive. Chaney and Skylar, Greek Sing queens. You all are just icons. Emilee Albright, you are just completely brilliant, and I know your future is so bright. I’m so proud of you, twittle. Cammie, you are beautiful and brilliant, and I am in awe of you always. Ann Miller, you are always the life of every party. But for a girl who brings the fun to every situation, I am constantly amazed by your ability to also be deeply intentional and loving. Annie, you are sunshine in human form. I know that’s cliche, and I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t so dang true. You are so impartially welcoming to everyone, whether they are your best friend in the world or someone you just met. Your kindness knows no bounds.

Cam, you are going to be a truly world-changing doctor. I would trust you with my life in a second. Celine, the radiance of your beauty is so much more than skin deep. I can’t wait for you to be famous one day so I can brag about you to everyone I know. Hannah Huff and Maddie Freels, your all’s passion for health care is so inspiring. Tori, you better prepare to plan all of our weddings. Chloe, your off the charts creativity and boldness make you stand out in the best possible way. You, my girl, are one of a kind. Isabella and Ruth, each of your love for adventure and excitement for life are contagious. Eden, you lead with such grace and poise. This chapter is forever changed for the better because of who you are. Emma James, you are just so dang special because you make everyone around you feel special. That is such an undervalued talent. Faith, somehow you have your stuff together more than anyone I know while also having more fun than anyone I know. You are the only person that would send out a Google Calendar invite for a birthday party. You, my friend, are the walking definition of “get you a girl who can do both.”

Sophia, Maryam, and Lauren, you are all so dang bright! I am fully convinced that any of you could run the world and make it look like a piece of cake. Kate Bausinger, you are the easiest person to love. Being your friend is so effortless. Kaitlyn and Maddie Pass, thanks for always making us laugh. We can always count on one of you to lighten the mood. Sarah, your smile is so beautiful. It makes everyone around want to smile too. Emily Sumrall, I want to be you when I grow up. That’s all. Gabby O’Connor, the way that you fiercely stand up for the people you love is something that everyone here can learn from. I love being your roommate. Grizzy and Reagan, there are dozens of things I could say about each of you, but I’ll pick my very favorite. Your dedication and humility in being DanceBlue chairs is something that I am so fortunate to see first-hand. Both of you deserve all of the praise in the world for everything you do. Gabbe Tate could brighten the very darkest day. The girl can make anyone laugh without even trying. Gabbe, from your hilarious jokes to your unmatched passion for the Bengals, you are absolutely nothing like what I expected you to be and absolutely everything that any of us could hope for in a friend.

Laurel Hinze and Laurel Hunter, some may argue that you share only a name, but I would say that your excitement for life and for the people that you love is another thing you have in common. This chapter would be incomplete without our Laurel’s. Lexy, you are every nice word I can think of. The world needs more Lexy’s. Bri, Alexa, and Calley if there was an award for best taste, I think the three of you would be in a dead tie for first. Lilly, thank you for showing us all how to be unapologetically yourself. The person you are is worth knowing and loving, and I know your authenticity will take you so far in this life. Keaton, you have a way of getting what you want that I so admire. It’s never bratty or superior, but always very determined. You have the strongest backbone of anyone I know, and I look up to you so much for it. Jess, if we lived a thousand lives, I think we’d be friends in every single one of them. Our friendship has always felt right and safe, and that is something that I am so completely grateful for. Claire, you have been through so much and made it all look easy. You are so much tougher than any of us could ever even wrap our minds around.

Madison Moon is the type of friend who will take a picture of you without you knowing and then send it to you the next day and say that she just had to take it because you looked so beautiful. She makes people feel loved and valued and important. Madison, you are the type of woman that I aspire to be and that I hope to one day raise. Kylie and Sophie, you are the two coolest humans that I know. Hands down. The way that you both so confidently know who you are and what you want from this life is something that I think we all strive for. And the way that you always have each other’s backs exemplifies what this chapter is all about.Hannah Latham, absolutely all of my favorite memories have you in them. Whether we’re laying in your bed on a random Wednesday or laying on the floor of the Charlotte airport while trying to get to Ecuador alone, I wouldn’t trade any of the moments we’ve spent together for the world. Let’s just never graduate and share a bathroom forever? Rachel, I love having a front row seat to your life. I am, and always will be, your biggest fan. I truly believe that you can do absolutely anything you take on. I am so proud of you always.

Kara, the word hero doesn’t even begin to cover it. The year that we spent living together truly changed my life. From giving me boy advice to empowering me to stand up for myself to showing me the importance of vulnerability, the lessons I have learned from being your friend are truly priceless. You are my biggest role model, and I do not know what I would do without you in my life. Olivia and Macy, each of your physical beauty is matched only by the beauty of your hearts. If you look up “beautiful inside and out” in a dictionary, I am fully convinced that you just see a picture of the two of you on the page. Plus, your all’s friendship is just about the sweetest thing ever. Thank you for being role models to all of us on how to love your people well. Kate Maddox, I am constantly moved by the way that you love others so deeply. You live life with your heart fearlessly wide open. That is something that so many people are so hesitant to do, but not you. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world that I get to have you as a best friend. I want to stand next to you forever. Molly, you are the main character. I hope to one day set the world on fire the way that you do. It is your world, and we are just living in it, Molly Armstrong.

Kelsey, I do not know where I would be without you. When I was at my absolute lowest, you were the one who brought me through it. You were, and continue to be, the most supportive friend and someone I know I can confide in. Everyone here can attest to the fact that getting a Kelsey in your life is a special thing. Please know how closely I hold our friendship to my heart Macy Mixon, if freshman-year-fifth floor-Jewell-Hall us could see senior-year-living-together-still-besties us, I don’t know if they would even believe it. I love that we get to make our freshman selves beam every time you come downstairs into my room to chat. I think they smile when we laugh together and tell each other things that we didn’t think we could say out loud. How cool that we get to do this life hand in hand.

Madi Guay, I swear it feels like you can read my mind sometimes. Having a friend that feels like such a kindred soul is a blessing that I never knew the beauty of until I met you. Sophie Brown, you are the type of person who makes everyone feel like they are always in on the joke. That is such an underrated trait, and we love you for it. Riley Fort, summing up why you are my hero in only a sentence or two feels next to impossible, but here goes: I have an insane amount of respect for the way that you always lead with patience and kindness. You are everything that I have ever or will ever hope to be. I simply adore you. Sydney and Liv, you are two of the most original, imaginative, and independent souls I have ever met. Please keep proving to all of us that you can be whoever you want to be every single day. And last, but most certainly not least, Tree. Theresa Berling, I genuinely feel so sorry for anyone who hasn’t met you. Getting to know you is one of the greatest gifts that Beta Psi has given the women in this room. We are lucky to exist at the same time as you.

It’s crazy to think about the fact that 3 and a half years ago, we were just meeting the girls that we had no idea would come to mean the absolute world to us. I know that if any of us could just do it over and over and over again for the rest of our lives, we probably all would. But I’m really proud of the way we did it this time around. AC19, you have changed my life. I have never had a sister, but because of you all, I will never go another day without one by my side. And for that, I could never say thank you enough. I could go on forever, but, for now, we get to focus on living this last semester to the fullest and loving each other so hard that it hurts. And there’s no one I’d rather do it with.