This is a letter to my high school, Rainard.

You gave me my confidence. When I first started at Rainard, I had spent so many years of desperately trying to fit in that I was ready to let it all hang out, so to speak. I had decided that I would no longer be afraid of being who I was, even if it meant people labeled me. I had spent the last six years surrounded by kids who never fully accepted me because I hadn't been around them long enough.

At Rainard, though I began my two years there as the only student, I was immediately challenged and accepted by my teachers. The younger kids in the Lower school could keep up with me and even challenged me in some areas. When I did finally get fellow students, beginning with Harris, Tim, and Charles, ending with John and Phillip, I was surrounded by minds like mine. And even though I've never had little brothers, I ended up with a whole herd of adolescent boys that I see as my brothers. I wish them the absolute best in life and want nothing more than to see them succeed.

But more than anything, I noticed very quickly that I was surrounded by people who valued a keen mind and the natural curiosity that accompanies such a mind. The faculty encouraged my reading and natural affinity for English and History. The students challenged me by adding a competitive edge to my thinking. I was, for once in my life, accepted.

This acceptance gave me a confidence I had never known. Today I have accomplished so much because I was able to just be myself. I have lived in Kenya and El Salvador, using my faith to help others get closer to God. Rainard also gave me the confidence to defend my faith, a situation I'd never encountered before Rainard. While not many people enjoy having their beliefs questioned, I know that the logic behind my fellow students' brains is what rules them, and I respect that. I myself question my faith at times. But unlike my friends, I feel like logic constantly defends my beliefs rather than rejects them. But I digress.

I began this to try and express all that this exceptional school gave me. It gave me confidence, it gave me better people skills, and it gave me a sense of belonging that I'd not known before, not even among my family. So thank you. Thank you for all you gave me, including two of my best friends :)