I believe everyone should have a friend like Adela. Last year, Adela and I weren’t very close friends. We said hi, talked sometimes, laughed together, but I never really knew much about her, and she didn’t really know much about me either.

 

At the end of the year, I wasn’t sure if my roommate Paz was coming back to school for Grade 12, so I honestly had no idea who my roommate would be if she didn’t return. But during the summer, Adela and I started texting and decided that we would be roommates.

 

We were both really excited, sending each other lists and ideas about what we could buy for our new room and what classes we were going to take. And if I’m being honest, I was really nervous and scared about rooming with Adela because even though I knew her, I didn’t truly know how she was like. I didn’t know what she thought about me or whether we would actually be good for each other.

 

The day I arrived at Shawnigan, Adela hadn’t arrived yet. She was coming two days later, so I chose the best mattress and the best closet. I remember those nights after my parents left; I couldn’t sleep because I was so excited for Adela to arrive. Finally, she did, and from that exact moment, Adela became one of the people I love the most.

 

She has always told me that I was the one who taught her what having and being a good friend means, but honestly, Adela is the one who inspires me to be a good friend. People say you need three close friends, one you can cry with, one you can laugh with, and one you can tell everything to. Adela is all three, and more.

 

I have never met someone as hard-working as her. Whatever she sets her mind to, she achieves, and she has never let me say that I can’t do it, because she believes in me, more than anyone. On top of that, Adela is funny, laughs at my jokes, keeps and never tells my secrets, calms me down when I cry, hypes me up no matter how small my accomplishments are, and is always proud of everything I do. She tells me how to improve when I make mistakes and always speaks to me with honesty.

 

Remember when I said I was afraid we wouldn’t be good for each other? Well, I was 100 percent wrong. Being with her makes me smarter, happier, more capable, and more confident. I don’t think she realizes how much she has helped me grow as a person or how much she has opened my eyes in so many ways.

 

I wanted to make this speech about Adela to share how I believe in the importance of having good friends. I chose her because, to me, she is the perfect definition of what it means to be a GOOD friend.  Everyone in this world has, is, or is still looking for their Adela. So, when you find yours, remind them every day of the impact they have on your life and how great they are. I could not imagine my life without a GOOD friend like Adela.