Where would I be without you? Who would I have become without your guidance and mentorship?And how would I view myself without your support? Definitely not the person I am today. Ever since I can remember you taught me to be strong. To be resilient. And to be brave. You may have not consciously taught me this. But, that’s what the best role models do. They lead by example. And you lead by example. You have taught me to stand up for what I believe in because you do. You have taught me to go after my goals at whatever cost because you do. I think the biggest gifts in my life are the lessons and experiences you gave me growing up. A memory from growing up that stands out with me is from my lacrosse days. I was always known for being a bit aggressive on the field. After a game, one of my coaches came up to you and told you that I am too aggressive on the field. She wasn’t giving me a compliment. Rather, she was addressing my aggression as a problem. And I love this memory because of how you responded. You said “I am not going to tell her to tone it down. She has to be whoever she is.” You never told me about this until later because you never saw a problem with how competitive I was on the field. As you said in your response, it was important for me to be the person I was. I wanted to win every game and I was going to do whatever it took to win. You saw this, while my coaches thought my competitiveness was a problem. Unfortunately, I think sometimes young girls are given too much direction on who to be and how to act. Whereas, I was able to find my own path in life because I was given the tools to be successful while also having the freedom to carve that path for myself. And I have you to thank for that. So, thank you. Thank you for being that shining example of being your true self. Thank you for supporting me in all aspects of my life. And thank you for showing me how being a woman should never be a hindrance.
