I’m going to be completely honest: I have no idea what I want to write here. I feel an obligation to craft a deep and sentimental column that will leave you all in tears and win a ton of medals, but the truth is, I really don’t know what to say. Seeing as I’m currently fueled by intense 80’s music, procrastination, and an obscene amount of tea (Earl Grey, hot), I’m going to do my absolute best to write an article that will still leave you reeling- though I’m okay with not getting any medals. First of all, I’d like to say that I apologize sincerely to [almost] everyone that I’ve wronged in the past four years. I’ve met a huge amount of fabulous individuals that I would love to be friends with for years to come, though I daresay I’ve crossed some boundaries that would make this difficult in certain cases. I’m going to boldly assume that everyone I’m referring to knows who they are. However, there are many people that I have connected with since the beginning of my high school career that I am still in contact with. I’d like to acknowledge Katherine Ruth Jensen Scott for being a very dear friend, appreciating my sass, and for tolerating me in my worst times. Victoria Rae Hand has also been there for me when I needed to play L4D2 and geek out with a gurlfraaaan. There are so many people that I would like to list here because they have all made a true impact on my life and changed me for the better, but I’m not sure I can fit all of you in here. I’m sorry if I’ve been an insufferable buffoon at times, but I love you all and I really hope you know that. I hope these connections stay strong. I would like to thank Pokemon Club for being the single greatest group of people I have ever encountered in my life. I really, truly love every single one of you. This is one of the few places that I feel totally accepted for being an absolute dork. On that note, I must also send my love to Scratch Pad. This year has been superb, guys. Thanks so much to each and every one of you that helped out, being your co-leader has been a great ride. An intense amount of thanks goes to Mrs. Strasser for being an awesome teacher and helping me figure out what I want to do with my life. I truly appreciate it. Thank you to every English teacher that I’ve had over the years for helping me stay on track and inspiring me. I love all of you guys. Madame Dobernecker, you’ve really inspired me, and I’m so glad that I’ve been able to have you as a teacher as well. Thank you to everyone that has tolerated and accepted my nerdiness. I realize that it gets a little bizarre when I cry while reading comic books or while playing video games, not to mention how emotional I get every single time Spock dies during the original Star Trek movies. I just… I just have a lot of really geeky emotions and that’s that. An immense amount of thanks goes to everyone that has also embraced my sassy side- that’s not easy to deal with. And finally (for thanks, that is), I’d like to thank myself. Call me conceited, but no matter what you say, I’ve come a long way in the past four years. I went from being an awkward loner to someone that loves life and has many good friends. I know what I want to do with my life, and I have finally embraced my personality quirks and learned to accept myself for who I am. There were many times that I thought I wouldn’t survive high school, but here I am. I’m truly happy and isn’t that what really counts? My final thought goes out to all of the nerds of Ames High. You are all fabulous and interesting individuals, and I hope you all grow to realize this. Nerds are the greatest people that have ever existed and I hope that you all remember this. It took me many years to embrace my inner nerd, but now here I am, fangirling incessantly over Star Trek, Star Wars, superheroes, video games, etc. I don’t even care how abrasive my dorktastic personality is, because I am proud of being a nerd. To all of you – live long and prosper, may the force be with you, and I hope most of you survive the impending zombie apocalypse.