When I first set foot on my college campus as a wide-eyed freshman with no high school connections among my new set of peers, I yearned for new friends. I missed my hometown friends dearly, and I still do when I look at pictures from AP classes or think of inside jokes that I cannot share with anyone else. Nevertheless, I was ready to start a new chapter. I wanted so badly to be surrounded by new faces and personalities, so I set out to find them.
I had no idea, however, the extent to which these connections would impact me and challenge me to become a better person, to mature in my values, and to shape my outlook on the world in ways I am still beginning to understand. And, more realistically, I had no idea how many awkward introductions, “what’s your major?” conversations, and mildly uncomfortable dining hall meals it would take to get there.
But here we are, and this letter is for you guys.
Dear College Friends,
I believe one of life’s great joys is the opportunity we have, as humans, to connect.
Without you all, I would be a very lonely girl. Sometimes I think about how boring my life at college would be without people in my corner. The nightmare would start with me sitting in my room alone, listening to some sad indie rock band, feeling bad for myself. I would down three bags of chips and watch show after show after show. I would walk to class with nothing to look forward to afterwards, no people to hang out and laugh with. I would study alone in a cubicle on the fourth floor of the library every single day. I would sit by myself during every meal and scroll through reels without having anyone to send them to.
Thank God this is not my life. Instead, my days are filled with people, conversations, and silly moments that make life in Storrs feel much less monotonous. I am so privileged to always have people to eat with, to have new inside jokes to laugh about, and side quests to go on, even if it’s just a quick walk to grab a drink. Yes, it’s not always exciting, but it is never empty, and I am never lonely.
As someone who has always enjoyed listening to other people’s stories and avoided shallow, surface-level relationships, I am eternally touched that you all have chosen me to share your stories with. We are not friends who just talk about the miserable weather or how terrible so-and-so professor is, or how much work we must get done before we crash out. We are friends who talk about all these things and more — about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going.
You all became familiar to me in pieces, through passing conversations that turned into hours, through shared routines that felt insignificant at first but slowly became essential. Somewhere between rushed dining hall meals, long nights, and conversations that stretched far past what they were supposed to be, you became the people I reach for without thinking.
There is a particular kind of comfort in knowing that, for a brief period, our lives overlap so closely. That we exist within the same few miles, walking the same paths, living through the same fleeting season. One day, this will no longer be the case. Our lives will stretch outward, into different cities, routines, and versions of ourselves we cannot yet imagine. But for now, we are here. We are together in this small, temporary world, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
So, as I sit here in my childhood bedroom, writing this during an uneventful spring break, I am filled with gratitude for all of you.
Thank you to my roommate. You are the best thing that could have happened to me as a newbie on campus, and you happened 10 minutes after I walked into that hot, humid, no AC, closet of a dorm.
Thank you to my friend who, unfortunately, transferred away. You know who you are, and you know I miss you. But thank you for introducing me to even more friends.
Thank you to my international friends; even though you may live across the globe, I always look forward to seeing you at school.
Thank you to my friends who have trusted me with notes and secrets. I’ll always listen and keep them safe.
Thank you to all my friends whom I’ve met through friends, to my friends whom I don’t even remember becoming friends with, and even to the friends who I might not be friends with anymore.
Thank you, God, for putting all these people into my life. I am blessed in so many ways, but I have been blessed greatly by the people with whom I have smiled, laughed, cried, shared meals, and confided in. It is because of you guys that I can call the University of Connecticut my second home (and I didn’t even like this school at first) because the people make the place, and you all have made this a wonderful place to be, indeed.
Love,
Mia