I am a sophomore at Air Academy and the one thing that has made the difference for my high school career so far is the class of 2016.  The class of 2016 holds three incredibly influential people in my life this far. A best friend, a mentor, and a brother. Without these people, I would not be who I am today.

When I was in the eighth grade I started going to a bible study that a few AAHS high schoolers went to. A sophomore named Ashley Rhiel attended this small group and said things that were so open minded and beautiful. When I started high school in the fall of 2014 she took me under her wing and we quickly become close. Since then Ashley has given me 2 years of beautiful friendship. From Dutch Bros dates to Canada adventures, Ashley and I have so many memories that I am so thankful for. I can’t wait to see where the next few years take this beautiful lady, and how she is going to change lives.  

At Air Academy, we have a club called FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), which I started attending my freshman year. Here I met the most bubbly, beautiful, and kind-hearted person on this planet.  Natalia Valentine is one of the strongest people I have ever met in my entire life. She has helped me through so many hardships and struggles, things that I wouldn’t have been able to get through without her. Every day, no matter how I look or the mood I’m in, whenever she sees me in the hall, she will stop me to tell me that I am beautiful and that she loves me. A lot of the time, that helped me get through the day without a mental breakdown.  I can’t wait to see how Tali will move on and change the world by finding a way to end poverty or something awesome like that.

It’s great to have mentors and friends in the grades above you to help guide you through your first few years, but nothing compares to family. When I started my freshman year, my brother was a junior, and my high school experience would not be the same without him. When we started going to school together Chapman and I became extremely close. We would do homework together and go fishing and he has been my best friend all throughout high school.  He has literally been through everything with me and the great thing about being friends with your sibling is if you’re going through something then chances are they are going through it too. Chapman will be attending the University of Utah in the fall, and I can’t wait to see how the next few years of his life turn out, and I’m even more excited to experience them with him.  It will be sad to have my best friend leave for another state, but I know that we are still going to be the same stupid Cox kids we’ve always been, no matter where we are.