In preparation for May 13, I thought about my favorite aspect of high school graduation — the unforgettable and ever-so-cliché yearbook signatures.

Equally as cliché, I thought about all that I have experienced at Kent State — the parties, bowling tournaments, bar crawls and girls’ nights — in comparison to how scary the real world can be.

While I don’t have a job lined up yet, I do have a couple phrases that I would have written in the yearbooks of the friends who have inspired and assisted me on my path to graduation with honors in four fast years.

Holly Artz: “Stay the same”

In my mind you’ll always be the incredibly skinny girl who went on the campus scavenger hunt in Freshman Orientation class with me in my now infamous white pants. Thanks for joining me on many adventures. Our nights were unpredictable, but always entertaining. Four Chicks and a Dick is still the best name for five girls in a band, no matter how lacking our karaoke skills.

Evan Belfiore: “Keep in touch”

You’re living proof that you can do anything that you set your mind to, and I live by your example. You’ve bowled an 800 series and found a great journalism job — I hope to soon follow in those steps as well. You’ve held my hand and my heart for the majority of college. Good luck producing your morning show in Louisville. I never doubted you; thanks for never doubting me.

Kimberly Huter: “Best friends forever”

I wouldn’t be days from graduation if it wasn’t for my best friend in the world. Each good and bad aspect of my life, you have stood beside me. You have taught me many life lessons as I watched you grow. And I hope no matter where I go, we will stay this close — or we’ll at least get motor homes to continue our camping traditions.

Kelly Mills: “Have a great summer”

This summer brings new challenges for both of us. I can’t wait to come to Illinois, shop in Chicago and girl talk. While we initially bonded over mutual misery, I now feel that I could share my world with you. You need to get me a job at your paper because eight hours is too far for me to drive to drink some wine after a bad day.

Denise Newcomb: “I signed your crack”

There is no better way to sum up the weirdness of our apartment and joint insanity of our lives than the stupid saying the class clown would write over the crack of two pages in a yearbook. I’ll miss you, Sebastian, Crush and Dixie. Thanks for being there through all the tears and the beers. I can’t image how Feng Shui my next apartment will be without a beer bong on the wall.

While I don’t know what the future holds, I hope that each of you tear this column out and place it in the autograph section of your high school yearbook. You’ll stumble over it in 20-some years and remember our college adventures.

I love all five of you in different ways, and I hope we’ll be “friends forever.”

Kimberly Dick is a senior magazine journalism major and city editor for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact her at [email protected].