As college students go home for summer break, it can be difficult for them to maintain their friendships strong.
The time apart has only strengthened the friendship between seniors Isabella Ruck and Catherine Gilligan, who have been best friends and roommates since their freshman year.
Under unexpected circumstances, Ruck, a public health science major with a business minor, and Gilligan, a public health practice major, met during their first semester at the University of Maryland.
“I was living in a single dorm, and she was living with another roommate,” Ruck said. “Her mom posted on Facebook looking for another roommate. We talked, and then I moved into her dorm about three weeks into school, the rest is history.”
Gilligan remembers it the same way.
“I committed to Maryland late, and I wound up in a triple, but there was only one other roommate,” stated Gilligan. “I wanted someone that I had similar interests with. I found Bella on Facebook, and she moved in. We just got close right off the bat.”
From roommates to more like sisters, they lived together during the following years of college.
“We do a lot of things together,” Ruck said. “And we’re from the same state, which helps too.”
The two have always managed to stay close, even though summer involves going home and being apart.
“We live 45 minutes from each other,” Ruck said. “Every summer since I was a freshman, we’ve gone to her Long Beach Island house.”
“It’s different than just going down the hall, you have to go out of your way to plan something,” according to Gilligan. “Each summer, we always found time to get together.”
Technology contributes to bridging the distance.
“We’re not huge texters,” Gilligan said, adding that they have long phone calls and share TikToks in their group chats or text if anything amusing happens.
“Sometimes we have extended phone calls because we haven’t talked in what feels like 25 years,” stated Ruck, agreeing with Gilligan.
Both agree that friendships can be put to the test throughout the summer.
“It depends on the type of people you are,” according to Ruck. “It’s important to stay in communication even when you aren’t right around the corner from each other.”
“If they’re not staying in touch during the summer, that shows whether or not they want to be friends,” Gilligan said.
They advise other students to be thoughtful of who is trying to maintain the friendship.
“FaceTime, catch up on each other’s lives, don’t be afraid to plan things, even if you take a day trip,” stated Ruck.
Gilligan suggests planning a summer trip with friends.
This summer, they already have plans to visit Long Beach Island together.
“We’re gonna go to my grandparents on the bay – maybe go on a jet ski ride,” Ruck said.
Their friendship is still as strong as ever, with graduation quickly approaching.
“It’s like no time has passed,” Ruck said.
“It’s very wholesome,” added Gilligan.
It can be challenging to keep a friendship strong, but with the right person, you know, and even summer break won’t interfere.
A friendship like Ruck and Gilligan’s has developed over years of shared experiences and memories, and it has proven itself adaptable to time and distance.
“You’re lucky if you have a good freshman year roommate that you’re able to stay close with,” Ruck said.