In high school, I never really had a close group of strictly female friends. I had girl best friends, but I usually hung out with them in the presence of male friends. This was never a problem for me and I never felt like anything was missing in my life, but it wasn’t until I got to my sophomore year of college that I found a tight group of female friends. We all moved back to school early for our jobs, giving us nearly two weeks of time to hang out before the stresses of classes started. I was friends with all of these girls during freshman year, but it wasn’t until we got the opportunity to spend time together outside of a school environment that we became really close.
Becoming roommates this year with a girl I already knew and liked allowed us to become even closer than we were during our freshman year. I feel like I can talk to her about anything, and we’ve created an environment where we can have fun and also have serious conversations. As geeky as it may sound, we love to read socially-conscious articles online and text them to each other. I’ve never really had a friend that I was comfortable going on feminist rants with, and I’ve never gotten the opportunity to educate myself so much through a friendship. She’s taught me to learn how to take pride in my achievements and to never shy away from being happy with myself just because I’m scared people will think I’m arrogant. This is one of the most important things I’ve learned this year and it’s given me a new outlook on life.
Our friend group has taught me that I should pursue my passions, however cheesy that may be. I love seeing these powerful women succeed in following their dreams. One of my friends talked to me about how happy she felt in her new executive board position in a club she loves, surrounded by a team consisting only of women. She told me that the environment made her feel empowered, and I was inspired just listening to her. One reason why I love Emerson is the fact that I’m surrounded by creatives always working to make their voices heard, and I feel so happy that my friends are owning their power and feeling proud of what they’ve accomplished.
Female friendship has given me an outlet to talk about and feel things that I never thought possible. My friends have given me a chance to embrace my femininity and explore new opportunities for myself. Even when we’re doing something simple like watching a movie together or going out to dinner, I’m so content to be surrounded by people who want me to be the best woman I can be.