Spiderwebs

It's strange to consider the extent to which people effect your life and will never ever know it. This connectivity is present in literature, film, music, religions, everything. Reading Roman Gary's La Promesse de l'aube has really brought it to my attention lately. In it, Gary examines his relationship to his mother, to country and to people in general in order to gain a better understanding of what makes him "Roman Gary."


I thought I'd think about what composed "Stephanie Vatz," or at least the good parts of "Stephanie Vatz." Like the part that loves her friends or worked her ass off to get into Columbia School of Journalism, not the bad parts that are often full of pride, lack self-control and yet seek control of others. (Not that I'm bipolar or something, but, you know what I mean). I wanted to take time to compose a thank-you list that no one will probably ever see (not that they don't deserve to see it, it's just kind of awkward to thank people for things they did but didn't know they did. You know?) These are not to the most important people in my life like my parents or best friends or my boyfriend. These thank you's are to the people I used to know better, or the people I barely knew at all.

To Denise: Thanks for being a year older than me and to going away for college. And for being my best friend for a year and a half. You were such a great friend to hangout with, call on random days, have a million inside jokes with, boys to talk about, everything. Without you leaving, I might not have felt compelled to go to France which was the trip that made me realize a lot of my passions and potential. It's funny that you were one of the first people to congratulate me on Columbia. I'm at least partly going there because of you.

To Aaron Winter: Thanks for being the first teacher in college to believe in me. I'm positive you gave me the strength and confidence to maintain my ambition, even when things were going downhill academically.


To Galen: Thanks for living in Prado and inviting me to hangout with you that first night freshman year. I met one of my best friends in the world because of you.


To Lumbchops: Thanks for complimenting me, for believing in my skills, for being a massive proponent in what got me where I am journalistically. I know you hate me right now, but just know that I am sorry and that I thank you. A million times thank you. One day, I'll work up the guts to let you know that in person.


To Stanford-Ryan: Thanks for being so passionate about journalism. When I was going through a time of nonchalance and apathy as far as my profession, your insatiability for the field reminded me why I was passionate about it in the first place.


Traci Lee: Thanks for calling me out, for questioning me and for bringing me back down to earth. There aren't that many people in life that can humble you in that way and although it hurts like hell at the time, it's so necessary. I want you to know that I'm honestly more appreciative for that than I would be 1,000,000 compliments. I think that little by little, it's made me better as a journalist and as a human being.


And finally,


To my dad's family: Thanks to my Aunt Susie, my grandparents, my cousins. You made me dinners, bought me dinners, celebrated my small accomplishments and sympathized with me through whatever mini-dramas went on during my college years. You have always been my family by blood, but living near you really transformed all of you into my family in the emotional sense. Thanks for being louder than average, politically un-correct and impossibly eccentric. I wouldn't want my family to be any other way.