The lights dimmed, the T.V. on, my roommates Ale and Giulia bounce off the walls like dogs with zoomies. As we scream early 2000s classics, I can’t help but think I’ve found my place.
In college, I’m often overwhelmed with the abundance of responsibilities I sign myself up for, but when I’m with my friends, I feel a weight lifted off my shoulders. I worried I wouldn’t belong anywhere as a freshman. I didn’t struggle to build friendships but the ones I did make felt disingenuous or surface level. Although, I always knew I could rely on Christine, who I’ve known since kindergarten and came to college with.
After a series of friendship breakups in the fall of freshman year, I met a group of five journalism students. We quickly grew close, and we still maintain that closeness, but, like most groups, we grew smaller. The few girls left though, are my rocks and Moody College legends.
Sophomore year marked my prime. I finally began to appreciate the friendships I developed. My three roommates, Maia, Anasofia, Lydia, and I connected effortlessly. I distinctly remember chatting with them in the kitchen at night or screaming karaoke in the living room, and I finally felt like I lived the college experience. We bonded over the stresses of school and the struggles of dating. We no longer live together, but we’ll always remain long distance girlfriends (they’re a couple blocks down).
Then there’s Lindsey and Bryan, who I met working on Sixth Street. Almost every day of our 2023 spring semester, Lindsey picked me and Bryan up in her beat up red Solara at 10 p.m., and we grinded all night at Epoch Coffee until our eyes matched the car. As our bank accounts quickly shrank from the abundance of coffee we purchased, our friendships grew. We’re a trio, trauma bonded there for life.
Lindsey also introduced me to my new passion for ballroom dancing and encouraged me to join Texas Ballroom. I joined this semester, and while I’m still new, it’s become an excellent outlet to relieve stress and make new friends.
Additionally, I worked at Bennu Coffee and there I found a family. We’re binded by caffeine highs and obnoxious music we played in the cafe. UT and Austin as a whole sustains as a place that’s allowed me to grow. When I look back at freshman year me, I don’t recognize the person I once was. College allowed me to meet people in ways I never thought I would. Sometimes, it’s all about getting out of your comfort zone.
For example, my current roommate, Ale (and one of my best friends now), in my FIG freshman year, messaged me on GroupMe out of the blue. She asked if I wanted to go to a basketball game with her after our class picnic, and since I had already planned to go, I agreed. From there, our friendship flourished into our west campus apartment we now share with Giulia, the top one percent academic weapon on the other side of my bedroom wall. Giulia, remarkably charismatic and hilarious, brings light to my hectic life, along with Ale.
Roommates in college are like built in therapists and sisters. You tell them all your endeavors, then you argue about the dishes, then you ask if they can zip up your dress while you complain about your newest problem. Without my live-in yappers, I’d talk to my wall.
My other beloveds resided in the place I love most, New York City. Last semester, I participated in UT’s competitive internship-first program, UT New York (UTNY). There I lived with three girls whom I shared my life with for four months in the Big Apple. I’ll forever cherish fighting off rats in our Lower East Side apartment and to girls trips around the burrows of NYC and beyond. I also connected with Jeff and Alex. Jeff, with whom I interned at NewsNation, and Alex, somehow cool enough to stick around.
Circling back around, Christine still stands as my best friend. We’ve built our own separate busy lives, but time and distance can never break our bond. She’s a low effort friend. We can go weeks without seeing each other and pick up again like we saw each other yesterday.
Now a junior in college, I’m satisfied with the life I’ve built for myself. I feel fulfilled in every social aspect, something 18-year-old me couldn’t have said. There is something so valuable about the relationships built in your early twenties, as you develop as young adults. The emotions and experiences shared during these years prevail vulnerable. I will never forget these sleep deprived maniacs, who keep me sane in this frenetic life we live.
I believe college serves as a stepping stone to adulthood. Not all take this path, which is fine, but it fosters a safe space to grow socially and emotionally with people similar to you. It’s warming to know you found your people and you feel comfortable in who you are. This is the ballad of a college student.