Since Valentine’s Day is coming up, I figured I would share the gals I am so happy to have in my life. I have started to realize I need friends in my life where we mutually benefit each other in some way — happiness, laughter, fun, honesty, etc. I have some really good friends from home, and have found the best group of friends at college, so amazing that I couldn’t pick between them for the Her Campus semi, and I had to bring them all (you can see us all in the image above). Here are some of the qualities they add to my life that everyone needs in a friend.
Emily
Emily is the most go-with-the-flow person I have ever met, and I love having that in my life. You could name the most random thing and she would probably be down for it at any moment. How spontaneous she is is exactly what makes me unable to ever predict her next words or move. I feel like I don’t have many other friends that I can never predict what they are going to say or do, so it’s always fun hanging out with her. She is very type B (personally, I am in between A and B), and I love that because it makes me relax a little more in my life and realize not everything is a big deal. I think everyone needs friends who you can bring to something boring and they make it fun, and Emily does exactly that. She is so honest with herself and everyone around her, and really is herself all the time. She is able to be spontaneous, but also make decisions for what she wants instead of following others. She reminds me to make decisions based on what I want, not what others want. I am someone who tries to include everyone and reach out, but I feel everyone doesn’t always try to do that for me; however, Emily always makes sure to include me, text me, call me, and make sure everyone around her feels included. This, in my opinion, is one of the kindest things someone can do. It makes me so happy when someone texts me, even though they haven’t seen me in a while because it means that person values our friendship enough to make the effort to keep me in their life. I feel like I am very similar to Emily, which is so important to have because it means that person will always understand where you are coming from and want a lot of the same adventures as you. Everyone needs a friend in their life that has Emily’s spontaneity, unpredictability, honesty, kindness and authenticity, because I promise you will always have a blast with them and they will make you a better version of yourself as well.
Mackenzie
My twin sister, with whom I have always lived, didn’t get housing for fall 2025, so I had to find a new roommate. Here is where my amazing roomie, Mackenzie, comes in. I was nervous about not living with my sister, but also excited to live with someone new, and it was honestly such an amazing semester with her. Staying up late together, genuinely cackling like hyenas at our own jokes, having the same sense of humor, brushing our teeth and singing the Liv and Maddie theme song every night, taking care of each other, and getting meals together. I honestly couldn’t have gotten any luckier with her. Everyone needs a Kenzie in their life because she believes in inconveniencing herself for her friends, which is the most selfless characteristic someone can have. When I was having a panic attack after class because I thought I had a concussion last semester (which I did), I called Kenzie, and she immediately left the gym and met me at the health center just to sit with me for an hour so I didn’t have to go myself. She stays up late with me if I’m upset, lets me rant about the same topic over and over again, hears me out, and gives me advice on the situation. Kenzie is also flexible to any person or situation. I introduced her to my friend group, and she immediately got along with everyone because she is kind, funny, and makes people feel understood and heard instead of judged, no matter their interests. It’s safe to say we are keeping her, and she is stuck with me for life now. As sad as I am that I can’t live with her again, I got so lucky to experience a semester with her as my roommate. She has helped me through so much in the semester we lived together, and I am so lucky to have met her and made a friend for life. I hope everyone has someone as kind, selfless, and fun in their life as Mackenzie, because having her as a friend has made my life better and I am so happy and grateful to have her.
Ayla
Ayla was the first real friend I made at college. For a while, it was just my sister, her, and I, and we would have game nights, binge shows together, get every meal together, and basically see each other 24/7. She is someone who will always be there for you and make you laugh when you need it most. One time, I was panicking and she sat with me until 3 a.m. and helped me feel better. She likes to go to bed much earlier than that, so I appreciated her so much for inconveniencing herself to help me when I needed it, because that is a real friend. She always knows how to make me laugh when I need it, and she knows exactly when I need it. She can tell when I’m having an off day or am upset and immediately asks what’s wrong. Sometimes it’s hard to explain or say, so having a friend who can tell when you are upset without you saying anything is so important because it makes you feel cared about and understood more than anything. She asks what’s wrong and does whatever she can to fix it, whether that be listening, giving advice, making you laugh, or just sitting with you and watching a show. Everyone needs a friend who not only will go to the fun things with you but is also down for the boring as well. You have to run to the store? She will come with you. Do you have work? She will come to visit you. Homework? She will do hers with you. It is nice to have someone who will always hang out with you, whether it is fun or not, because when you hang out with them, that boring errand or work becomes something fun. She has become so important to me that it is crazy to think I didn’t even have her in my life a year and a half ago. I hope everyone has a friend in their life that is as caring, funny, and just amazing as Ayla, because it will make your life more enjoyable, and there is no better feeling than knowing those around you care about you and understand you so well.
Hailey
Sometimes people don’t listen, or you can tell they aren’t interested in what you are saying. When that is the case, you don’t want to talk much about your interests because you feel like you are boring the person or are unimportant. Sometimes it is hard to find people who listen to you, no matter if they are interested in what you are talking about or not, but Hailey will always listen to you, ask follow-up questions, and be interested in what you are saying. This is something so important for me to have in a friend, and I hope everyone has a friend like that because it makes you feel heard and more excited about what you are talking about. I am always excited to tell Hailey about the big things and the small things, or even the stupid things that happened in my day, because I know she will listen and be just as excited, mad, or sad as I am, even if she wasn’t in the situation or have the same interests as me. I love that Hailey can be so fun, but also take care of everyone around her at the same time. She is someone who will always be there for you, no matter the situation. Everyone deserves to feel like what they are saying is important and interesting, and that someone will always be looking out for them, so I hope everyone has someone as caring, understanding, kind, and fun as Hailey in their life.
Nicole
I met Nicole in my biology lab during my first semester of college, and we were friends in class (you know those friends you wish you could be out of class friends with, but it’s too far in the semester to hang out with — that was Nicole). When I was looking for a new roommate, I reached out to her, and she already had a roommate, but her friend Mackenzie didn’t. She introduced us, and I got to spend the whole semester with Nicole as well. Hanging out with Nicole is so fun because she always has a new side quest story to tell, or you get to go on a side quest with her. She is always down for anything (even if it means she has to hike there in the cold or rain), and it is always so fun to hang out with her. Everyone needs people in their life that are fun to be around and will be with you no matter what happens. Nicole makes hard situations more relaxed, which is so important to have in your life. She will make a negative situation fun and will have us all laughing just because she looked at the bright side and made jokes instead of complaining like a lot of people would. Everyone needs someone like Nicole in their life so the rough spots turn into adventures, you can be a more positive person and you are surrounded with more fun in your life.
After my first semester of college, I didn’t think I would have a big friend group or find my friends for life at college, but after my third semester, I can tell you I did. Each and every one of them has added so much happiness and excitement to my life, and I am so lucky to have found that in college. I truly hope everyone has friends with these qualities because it will make you laugh more, be more excited, at times more spontaneous or more relaxed, and at others, feel heard and understood, and just allow you to have more fun in your life, which is something every single person needs. I hope they all know how much they mean to me, or if they didn’t, I hope they now do. I would do anything for them or be there for them at any place or time because I love them all and don’t know what I would do without them in my life. I could go on forever about how each of them added to my life, but I hope from this they know how much they mean to me. So if you are in this article, I hope you know you are stuck with me for life because you all make my life so much better and I need each and every one of you. I couldn’t be more grateful for the friends I have found and I hope everyone has friends in their life with these qualities and gets to experience the love and happiness in their friendships that I get to have with them.