Dear Natalie in August 2021,
You are about to move into room 233 in Robinson Hall. Dad keeps telling you, “There are people you don’t know right now who will become your best friends for the rest of your life.” You want to believe him, but you’re scared… You’re uncertain of what the next four years will be like. Who will you meet? Who will you become? You don’t know it now, but four years of memories are all about to begin because you were placed on second Rob.
Your roommate’s friend from home, whom you met at orientation, who conveniently lives two doors away, will go on to become one of the best friends you could have ever asked for. She will always show up for you and be just a text or phone call away.
She will also go on to introduce you to one of your future roommates who lives on second Rob as well. That girl will be one of the best listeners you know, always there for advice or a therapy session whenever you need one. You will forever be grateful for her calming presence in times of stress.
The girl who lives across the hall from you will become your friend who’s always down for anything. If no one else wants to go out, you know that you can convince her. Extra ticket to a Bills game? She’s there. Beyond that, she will always be there to talk and listen for hours about anything going on in your life.
You will go to the Burton with her for the first time at the end of your freshman year, where you will meet another girl. This girl will go on to become one of your roommates. You will experience some of your core memories with this girl, who always knows how to have a good time. You will laugh about that first time you danced together in the Burton all those years ago. You will later meet her roommate, spoiler alert, your other future roommate. She will be a saving grace for you at the beginning of sophomore year, a time when you are feeling anxious and uncertain. You will have so many laughs together, often at things nobody else finds funny.
Both of these girls will introduce you to their friends who live a few floors above you sophomore year. These other three (later four) girls will be friends who always listen to you and support you and just…get it. One of them, who was in your orientation group, will even help you rediscover your faith and relationship with the church that you’ve always struggled with.
The girls who live next door to you in Rob will never live more than two doors down from you. They will always make you laugh. Also, that boy from the cross-country team that you Snapchat with will be spending a lot of time on your floor because of them. He will go on to become one of the people who make Bonaventure home. He will become your partner in crime and one of your most loyal friends.
There’s a girl in the other wing of second Rob who will join you for Bachelor nights in the lounge and catch the drunk bus with you sometimes. She will go on to be another one of your roommates. Beyond that, she’s your friend who celebrates all of your accomplishments and always lifts you up. You will spend countless hours watching TV on the couch with her.
The guy whose name you will only know at first from being mentioned by your friends will end up being in your Spanish class sophomore year and will become one of your best friends, and you even end up living with him for a semester. He will be one of your favorite people you’ve ever met. His friends will become your friends, and they will always welcome you to hang out with them. He will also help introduce you to your now boyfriend.
Your boyfriend will come at a time when you least expect it. You’ll be scared and unsure of how to even be in a relationship. But he will become your best friend and the person by your side, and you can’t imagine Bonaventure without him.
On the first day of classes in your second semester, your first year, you’re going to sit next to the only person in your international relations class that you kind of know. You won’t know it at the time, but you’re sitting next to one of the best people you will ever meet in your entire life. This will be the person who changes the entire course of your time at Bonaventure. She will introduce you to her future roommate, another one of the best people that you will ever meet. Both of these girls will remind you of what it is like to have friends who accept you for all of you. They will lovingly make fun of your imperfections but never make you feel like you have to change any part of yourself. They will be there while you laugh or cry. They are your rocks. They will both end up being your roommates.
Through them, you will meet a group of boys who live in Doyle. These silly guys will end up being the people that you all spend every pre- and post-game with. You’ll go on spring break with them, play Spring Weekend kickball with them, and they’ll always know how to make you laugh.
If you’re shocked at the number of roommates I’ve mentioned, it’s because we live in a house with seven girls. It’s the most beautiful off-campus house that you could have ever dreamed of living in. It’s perfect, and it’s your home. You live on a block with many of the people mentioned above. The life you’ve always wanted at Bonaventure will come to fruition.
It’s not going to be the easiest journey to get there, especially your first year. There will be some trying moments ahead of you. I wish that I could help you through them. Just know that they will all make you better, and they are all leading you to each of the people mentioned in this letter, and more.
You’re going to find your passion as the President of College Democrats, study abroad in Oxford just like your sister for the best six weeks of your life, grow exponentially in your confidence, join Dance Team (that is probably so confusing to you), record your nights out on dad’s old camcorder, and so much more. I wouldn’t change a single thing about our time here at St. Bonaventure University.
I wish that I could sit in your shoes right now and relive the past four years. I wish that I could re-meet all of the people who have made this place so special. Younger Nat, you are in for a ride. I hope that you don’t forget a single second of it.
Love,
Nat, older and wiser