It was my senior year of high school and I had two choices: St. Bonaventure or SUNY Oneonta.
I had been contemplating for months where I wanted to go to school and quite honestly, I didn’t want to go to college at all at some points.
I went on my spring break trip with friends and when I came back, I had to make the decision.
But, my parents knew and I knew that for some reason, my heart was set on SBU.
So, that’s what I did. I decided to commit to St. Bonaventure University Class of 2026.
When I decided, I found an app called “ZeeMee,” where you can meet people going into college the following fall semester.
To put it into short context, it’s literally Tinder for finding college friends and roommates.
You list your interests, how you like your living space to be, and anything fun there is to know about you.
I would scroll through there and connect with people that had similar interests as me.
One day, I came across a girl who said she liked vanilla iced lattes, hanging out with friends, and majoring in Occupational Therapy.
Her name was Leah.
For some reason, I just had a really good feeling about her.
I was nervous to go to a school far away from home and scared that I wouldn’t be able to find friends or have to settle for a random roommate.
As she likes to put it, I “slid into her DMs” on Instagram. But, she responded and we started sharing life stories.
I told my friends about her, super excited that I made a new friend, and said “I think I found my college roommate!”
Little did I know this girl had other options for roommates, but just like in “The Bachelor”, I got the final rose!
When we had met online, I was going through a tough time in my life and opened up to her about it, and somehow, she knew all the right things to say to make me feel better.
We met in person for the first time on move-in day in August 2022. It was crazy finally meeting the girl I had been chatting with online for months, but we instantly clicked.
It’s been over two and a half years and I’m proud to say that we still live together.
Living and sharing a room with another person for the first time was definitely new the territory for the both of us, but somehow, we made it work better than most people.
She became one of my best friends quicker than I could ever imagine and I would never change the friendship we have for anything.
Adjusting to college isn’t easy for anyone, but throughout the years, we’ve made it through all the ups and downs that college has had to offer and still found a way to lift each other up everyday.
I could never imagine how my life would be if I went somewhere else for college or if I lived with someone else.
Those of you that know Leah know that she is the kindest soul with the brightest smile and a friend to all.
I never thought in a million years that I would be so lucky to have a person like Leah in my life. I would not have made it through my college years thus far without her.
From singing and dancing to silly songs to having deep talks late at night, every day is fun and easier because she’s there.
I hope that everyone gets to meet their Leah one day and I can’t wait to tell my future kids funny stories about how their crazy Aunt Leah was in college.