Love Letters is a collection of profiles of HCUW’s Editor-in-Chief, Koren Kano’s, best friends. This series will highlight perspectives on the college experience, reflect on moments of change and growth, and celebrate love in all its forms.
It’s a Wednesday afternoon and Meleah and I are meeting each other at a bus stop on the Ave. We normally grab lunch or dinner at least once a week together, but this one is special. We’re going to the Dick’s on Wallingford, which may seem ordinary to someone on the outside, but to us, it’s a way of reminiscing on the start of our friendship.
Meleah was one of my first friends at UW. I’ve made some of the best memories of college, some of the best memories of my life even, by her side. I’m beyond excited to chat with her about friendship, college, and finding your people.
Our bus stops a few blocks away from the Dicks. As we walk past record stores and furniture boutiques, we chat about the last time we ventured here together.
“What has been your favorite memory of our friendship?” I ask.
“Probably our first Wallingford trip and that whole weekend of going to the gymnastics meet and taking the bus to the Verizon. It felt like that sparked our friendship,” Meleah responds.
“I was going to say that, too!” I told her.
It really did feel like the start of our friendship. We took the bus to Wallingford on a very rainy winter Saturday to pick up Meleah’s new phone. The night prior, we mixed drinks and played For the Girls–what would become the foundation of all future girls’ nights.
Meleah is, among many other titles, my running-errands friend. We’ve gone on nature walks for class, she’s taken my LinkedIn headshot, we’ve trekked to Trader Joe’s, and most notably, picked up phones. I think that’s just a testament to Meleah’s ability to make every situation fun and worthwhile.
At this point, we have ordered our burgers and fries. We set up shop on the side of the ordering booth.
“Ok, now to the rest of the questions,” I say. “What were you feeling when you were preparing to go into the first year of college?”
Meleah says “I was feeling really nervous because UW was a lot bigger than what I was used to, coming from a small high school. I was thinking about how I was going to make friends at a place that big? Though I was also excited about not everyone knowing my business and the whole freedom aspect of UW.”
“How did you connect with people in college?” I ask.
“I found that a good way to meet people is through classes! I’d recommend just getting out of your comfort zone. I feel like all of my class friends converted to regular friends,” Meleah recounts.
Meleah and I met in our First-Year Interest Group during our first fall quarter. It’s where we met our group here. We struggled together in the very back row of an Econ 200 lecture hall and bonded over our shared dislike of equations. Our little group really formed when we’d all go out for coffee at Suzzallo Starbucks after Friday quiz sections; a little reward for the punishment that is Econ at 8:30 AM.
“How would you describe our friend group, especially in the beginning?” I ask.
“Our group was like my rock. I always felt like I could come back to you guys and just feel comfortable and safe. Having our Starbucks outings every Friday gave me something to look forward to each week,” Meleah replies.
“Okay, my final question is: do you have advice for anyone struggling with finding their community here?”
“Allow yourself time to adjust and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t make friends as soon as you’d want to. There’s always going to be more opportunities to meet people!” Meleah shares.
When I reflect on my time at the UW, my memories with Meleah are the first that come to mind. Running across Denny field late at night after a party, gossiping about anything and everything over Sizzle & Crunch, cheering loudly at Husky Stadium, twinning as Magic Mike for halloweekend, the list can go on and on and on. The point being, UW would not have been the same without her.
Finding your people can take time. Let it. I promise it will be worth your while.