Last year, I had one roommate. And that was the first time I had shared a room with anyone since I was 5 years old, when being bunkmates with my older brother was just about the coolest thing I could think of. So it was quite an adjustment. Not because my first roommate was difficult to live with, but because going from having my own room at home for as long as I can remember to sharing a room half the size with someone else was just bound to be difficult. Especially in the midst of adjusting to college life in general.

This year, I have five roommates. I was supposed to have two, but in the midst of housing selection chaos at the end of last year, I ended up with five. Five of us sharing one space and one bathroom. As you can imagine, I was a bit nervous. Thanking of all the possible dramatic situations or difficulties that could come with living with five other girls was overwhelming. I thought it could possibly, and probably would, be disastrous.

But after almost a whole semester, I can honestly say that I was wrong. In fact, having the opportunity to live with the group of girls that I live with has been one of the best things to ever happen to me. I'm not saying that it's not sometimes a struggle to share a space with that many people, or that we don't all do things that bother each other, but I think that our good moments far outnumber the bad ones. So this one is for the roommates that I didn't know I wanted, but now can't imagine living without.

I knew a few of you better than the others coming into this year. So to me, it's crazy how you have all become my college family in less than 3 months. But I'm incredibly thankful for it. It has been such a privilege to get to know each of you much better this year; you are all wonderful people. I love the dynamic of our room; we have such a weird mix of personalities, backgrounds, and interests, yet it works so well. And I love how we all encourage and support each other endlessly. I can't thank you all enough for that.

Thank you for all of our unplanned roommate gatherings late at night when we should all be doing homework but end up having a deep conversation instead. Thank you for never failing to make me laugh at the end of every stressful day, and the ridiculous amount of funny videos I have of all of you on my phone. For all the food runs, Target outings, vent sessions, advice, and putting up with my need to listen to Christmas music starting in November. For our homework dates when we need to get off campus, and for making sure none of us ever has to go to the dining hall alone. Thank you for telling me when I'm stressing too much about something, but listening to me complain anyway.

Just thank you guys for everything. For all of the support, memories, and love. I can't wait to see what next semester and the next two years has in store for all of us. And I can't wait to take it on with all of you. I'm extremely thankful that I have you all in my life. Much love always, ladies.