Next year I’ll be transferring to a different college. I made this decision for many reasons. I don’t regret coming to BV: I learned so much; I got to experience so many amazing things; I grew as a person. I’ve met some lifelong friends,–one of them being my roommate.  

It’s hard to think that there was a point in time where I didn’t know her. Before move-in day, we had never spoken, so meeting her that first day was a little awkward. Neither of us knew what to expect from the other. We didn’t know anything about each other except names. As time passed, we became closer friends, so it would only seem appropriate to dedicate my last article to her right? I mean, she did teach me so many things. I couldn’t imagine taking on my first year of college without her.  

The first thing I learned was that it is possible to be close friends with your roommate without being best friends. I wouldn’t say she was my best friend, and I wouldn’t lie and say she didn’t drive me absolutely insane sometimes. I already know I drove her crazy too. However, I knew I could always count on her. I knew she would always be there for me through all my bad decisions, heartbreaks and stress. She was always there for me. 

She taught me to get out of my comfort zone. I was a bit shy and introverted, but I know I wouldn’t have met the people I did if it wasn’t for her being so extroverted and pushing me to be less shy.  

She taught me that it’s pretty cool having a built-in buddy. I know not everyone has a close relationship with their roommates, but it wasn’t like that with her and me. During Welcome Week we did a lot of things together. We hung out in the same friend group all year, went out together on the weekends, made Walmart trips together, and studied together. 

She taught me that ice cream and a movie night really does make everything better. She had all the right chick flicks on DVD. I won’t ever forget the days she spent watching live Beyoncé concerts and dancing along with Beyoncé. I don’t think I’ll ever find a roommate with as good a taste in movies as her. 

She taught me that little acts of kindness go a long way. I remember she came home from work one night with an iced coffee and a pint of ice cream because she knew I was feeling down. She always let me have the room as cold as I wanted because she knew that’s how I like to sleep, and she never complained about how messy I got. 

She taught me how important is it to work hard. Even though she worked until 12:30 a.m. some nights and had work study almost every day, she always worked hard to get her school work done. She taught me that you can accomplish pretty much anything you want. 

She taught me that it’s okay to agree to disagree. We didn’t always have the same viewpoints on things, and we didn’t always have the same opinion, even when we both thought we were right. 

The most important thing she taught me is that it’s sometimes okay to not be okay. There were several occasions where I would come into our room on the verge of crying. Whether it was because of a boy, stress, or something else going on, she would always talk me through it. She made me realize that our mental health is important, and we have to put it first. 

Even though I’ll be over 1,000 miles away next fall, I still see us being friends. After having such a good roommate experience with her, I will always recommend getting a random person for a roommate. You never know who you’ll meet.