I don’t like change, I never have. While that may be a phrase said and thought by many, I mean it with every bone in my body. As the semester comes to a close, I find myself with two recurring thoughts:
“I can’t wait for finals to be over, so I can have a break.”
“I don’t want finals to be over because then my roommates graduate.”
I am very thankful to have had such a pleasant random roommate experience and have often been greeted with surprise as many students don’t have the best luck with random roommates. Transferring to Northeastern after a full first year of college under my belt and living away from my childhood home for the first time ever was no easy feat. It was a time in my life I had dreamt about since I was young: being grown up and living with roommates at college.
I remember the day I found out about where I was placed for housing. It was a summer day about a month out until move-in day, and I read off the names of four other girls who I would now co-exist with for at least the next year. A few days later, one of them reached out to me via Instagram DM, and I remember sitting on the beach with my friend as we carefully crafted a response.
Flash forward to September, I walk into the apartment to a short girl with beautifully braided hair cooking in our kitchen; that was the moment I met Steph. Later that evening after returning from “Stuff-A-Husky,” I perused into our apartment only to find Steph and 3 other girls playing a card game at our coffee table. There sat Steph, Cecilia, Jess, and the one who DMed me, Jen. I said a quick hello, and then I was off to my room when just a few minutes later they asked me if I wanted to join in on the game of cards.
Although I was tired, I joined them and got to know the 4 of them as we sat in a circle around our coffee table and had a gorgeous panoramic view of Boston during nighttime from the living room windows, while we played For the Girls. Little did I know that this would be the start of going from random roommates to lifelong friends, and the girls I would call roommates for two years.
Now I’m here, a year and a half later, still living with them in our new place, feeling bittersweet as two of my roommates, Jess and Cecilia, prepare to graduate in less than a month. Remember that part where I said I don’t like change?
Steph, Cecilia, Jess and Jen, you have all impacted my life and college experience more than you will ever know. From the array of cuisines we’ve cooked up at our roomie dinners, our “night of the arts” and the ever-iconic Soiree, there isn’t much we haven’t done together.
Steph, your goofiness and radiant personality always uplifts me, like a plant after they receive sunlight. Your artistry and innovation, whether sparked at midnight or 6:00am, inspires me to get in touch with my creativity.
Cecilia, I am so thankful for our immediate bond over all things Taylor Swift, being my go-to girl with pop culture and TikTok references. You understand my humor, and I love coming home to share detailed run-downs about how our days go.
Jess, you’re rational and realistic, and you keep me in check. You also have given me the best advice whether it’s personal, academic, or career-related, you always seem to know what to say, and I am so grateful for that.
Jen, you encourage my impulsivity and spontaneity, whether it’s a blue-bike ride, baking adventure (or misadventure), or playing beach volleyball, I know I’m always in for lots of laughs when we spend time together.
From the first apartment that we called home to the second, I will immensely miss living with you all next year. I could not have asked for better “bigger sisters” to have been there to navigate me through college. While the change will never be my favorite thing, I am so excited to continue growing with the four of you and for what we will all accomplish from near and far.