Senior goodbye: Angelina Rafanello

Angelina Rafanello

Dear family,

Each of you have helped shape who I am today. Thank you to Rita Rafanello for your never ending commitment to me and being why I can look back to my early years with joy. Thank you to my mom, AnneMarie, for pushing the limits of what you knew in order to take care of me. Thank you to my dad, John, for your perseverance in learning to understand your atypical child.

Thank you to my oldest sister, Lexi, for paving the way for her younger sisters and managing the responsibility that comes with it. Thank you to my sister, Mandi, for being your brilliant self and showing me that people can be seemingly very different but somehow the same in what matters. Thank you to my brother-in-law Chris for being there for Lexi, sticking by her even when faced with her unique cast of family members, and caring to become like a real brother to me.

Thank you to Miss Tina Rafanello for always being there and making me feel less unusual. Thank you to Pampa for introducing me to some sick dance moves that I will never be able to replicate and exhibiting that you can turn a kitchen into a parade. You also inadvertently taught me that sometimes in life we are forced to say goodbye.

Thank you to every member of my family for the love you have for me. I know that I am lucky to have been given this family. Even though you are all loud and often cause me to feel like someone’s drilling my head, I would not trade any of you for a clearer mind… and you all know I would give almost anything for that.

 

Cheers for me surviving this long! 

Angelina