Dear Residents of Room 614,

Enjoy the tiny little space that I called home last year. That small uncomfortable dorm bed will become a safe place for you. Your roommate will become one of your best friends. That "crazy" guy that lives one room over, he's actually not so bad. The study space next to your room will hold a lot of memories. The sixth floor will give you some really great friends. At least it did for me.

Not being from the Houston area, I was forced to live and stay on campus almost every weekend. But there were plenty of us that did the same. I remember the first day, it was raining, mirroring my emotions of leaving my family, but I felt strangely at peace. My roommate graciously accepted me as a friend right away. I was intimidated by my suitemate. She was tall, pretty, and outgoing, but she quickly became one of my best friends.

A month later, our group of three had grown to five. Then it grew to seven, then ten, and then finally settled around 14 people. But these 13 people are my best friends. Where was the room that we all hung out in? 614. What room did we study in? 614. What room did the five original girls nap in together one time? 614.

We cried. We laughed, hysterically. We sang (and received a noise complaint). We fought. We studied. We slept, a lot. We loved. We Snapchatted and Instagrammed. But we lived. That room was my home this past year.

On the day I moved out, it was raining, which mirrored my emotions. I had to say goodbye to my suitemate, who is one of my best friends, the day before. I cried. I had to say goodbye to my roommate, who opened her arms to me. I cried. I had to say goodbye to my friends who had made this year easier than I thought. I had to say goodbye to a place that was my home for nine months.

Please, take care of room 614. It will be the place you go back to when you fail a math test at CASA. It will be where you can be yourself, unapologetically. It will be your home. When you move out at the end of next year, you'll be happy but you're going to miss it. Take care of room 614 and it will take care of you.

With love,

614 Resident