[Erin Rapacki]

My FIRST family and friends were very important to me during high school and my early years of college. My national network of friends opened my eyes to new ideas and possibilities, that the world is small (my actions may have impacts that I'm not aware of), and that appreciating friendships is one of the most important things in life. I eagerly awaited every FIRST event hoping to justify my place in the world by being around the only people who I seemed to belong with at the time. I learned a lot during the time of my college years and mistakes were made. Over the years I have lost touch with old FIRST friends, I may have let some of them down, or I may have just grown up and out of what we initially had in common. Now, I keep my friends closer to home, but I do hope that when I see old FIRST friends that a warm 'Hello' is exchanged and there is curiosity about how we may have grown up and changed. With FIRST being my roots, we do still all have a lot in common, and I'll always think fondly about how the friends I met in FIRST had a significant impact on my direction in life.

erin