As you go off…

The definition of Evelyn is “desire, strength and wished for.” I don’t know about you guys but this sure does sound like my cousin Evelyn… most of the time. You may know that she is a straight A student, captain of the soccer team, and a college-bound student athlete, but what you don’t know is who she is outside of school. She is an amazing cousin who will take you out to Cane’s for some chicken fingers, who will take you to Starbucks because you want a brownie, who will blast upbeat music in the car to get you hyped up and who will decorate your locker with photos of the amazing memories you share for your birthday. She’s the type of cousin who will take you biking to get some ice cream in the middle of the night, who will take you downtown to take fancy pictures and who will tell you all the gossip about her friends. She is my shoulder to cry on when life becomes unbearable. She is my support when I can’t support myself.

In my eyes, not only is Evelyn my big sister, she is my role model. I adore everything about her, the way she’s so dedicated to school and her education, the way she’s so determined to create footsteps I can follow. I adore the way she’s confident about who she is and where she wants to go in life even if that means moving to the middle of nowhere Vermont, but most importantly I adore her charismatic personality.  I love being able to talk to her about any and everything. I love being able to turn to her for advice about both school and life. I love having someone in my corner who will accept me for who I am. I love being able to look up to someone who has so much determination about becoming something great.

I love having someone in my life like Evelyn. I can’t tell her enough how proud of her I am. It’s not every day that we are able to celebrate the graduation of beloved family member. She helped shape me into who I am today and for that I can’t thank her enough. She is my sister, my role model, my rock. I love her with all my heart. As you go off on your journey into college, Evelyn, I want to tell you that I believe in you and wish you the best of luck.

Alessandra Magdaleno