Open Letter to My Freshmen Year Roommates

“Sweet is the memory of distant friends! Like the mellow rays of the departing sun, it falls tenderly, yet sadly, on the heart.” – Washington Irving

On August 24th I packed my bags and moved across the country to to attend college. As a scared 19 year old who had just graduated high school I must admit I was scared, nervous, and unsure. Leaving home for the first time away from family made me scared. Through out school there were several ups and downs, but what helped me through it were my roommates. My roommates were probably one of my strongest support groups throughout school. I met my roommates on social media through #BYUBOUND. Use it...it works ha! Though we talked here and there, I heard of a lot of scary stories which kept me frightened. Coming from a single home where it is just my mom and I, I have never had the privilege of living with six girls. Not only was I scared of what my roommates would be like I was scared of this new journey could college I was about to embark on. I met my roommates and I immediately fell in love with all of them. I learned so much about them throughout the 8 months we lived together, and I soon realized they were the sisters I never had. They taught me so much and from the bottom of my heart I want to say thank you! This post is dedicated to them!

Kayleigh, thank you for showing me strength. Thank you for showing me that it is okay to cry, and that at the end it will all be well. As someone who found it hard to show emotion out of fear you really taught me that it is okay. I don't think I have ever met anyone who cries as much as you do haha, but it really meant a lot to me. I love how you wore your emotions on your sleeve and afterwards you got over it. Thank you for always being my dancing partner and trust we will become famous after the mission ha! You have such an amazing style and you are always unapologetically yourself. You are such a talented individual and I can't wait to see what you will accomplish in the future. I love how you care so much about the earth and how you always tried your best to do better. I always enjoyed listening to your stories about your art classes and I enjoyed seeing how much joy it brought you to talk about it. I already miss your silliness and your ability to always find light in dark situations. I miss you walking around the house with you head phones watching friends or the asian TV show. I miss getting boy advice from you and trust I will always hit your line up haha. Thank you for always asking me to do things even when you know I will say no. I might forget conversations and moments we had, but one thing I know for sure is I will never forget the way you made me feel. I truly will cherish the deep conversation we had and I love you dearly! If you ever want to go to Ghana know you will always have a place to stay! P.S. I also miss scaring you at odd times hehe. :)

Juliana, thank you for teaching me the importance of kindness. Your willingness to always share is something I truly admired about you. Your ability to care for others will make you and amazing mother and wife in the future. Thank you for never judging me, and for always being there when I needed to talk. Thank you for always taking out your head phones and asking "what's wrong" when I walked into your room. Thanks for always grocery shopping for me (chips and bread haha), and making me tea when I was sick. Thank you for always throwing out the bad food in the fridge so we wouldn't all get sick in the apartment. Thank you for forever being brave and taking risks in life. Though it might not have seemed as such a big deal thank you for always coming to events when I invited you even though you were probably tired from work. I love how you were always open minded and spoke your mind in conversations we had.

I love how organized and aesthetic you are. Coming into your room really made me want to get rid of the echo I had in mine haha. I already miss seeing your plants around and I'm excited to see your at home green house in the future. I miss you playing your turn up music in the shower and our mini dance sessions in front of the vanity. I admire how much you love people. You inspire me to be fearless and go for what I want in life. You really were the perfect roommate that I dreamed of, and I know you are going to do great things in the future! "YE"

Kennethia, thank you for always gassing me up even when I didn't feel like I was that "chick." Thank you for gassing me up when I cut my hair and I felt that I looked like a chicken. When I saw your picture on #BYUBound page I immediately knew you were the one I wanted to room with. Your loudness, silliness, boldness and no filter is one thing I always admired. You have the power to light up a room with your presence when you walk in. That is a gift no one could ever take away from you.

I am going to miss our pillow talks where we would talk for hours before actually going to sleep. Who am I going to tell all my tea to now? Even though I tease you for it I am going to miss you leaving the lights on until 2am because you are studying for you A.H. test. You are truly a gift from God to me. Your were everything I wanted in a roommate and I was blessed to get that. I want to thank you for opening my mind to different things. Thank you for forcing me to go out and do things even when I did not want to. Thank you for the countless amount of dance videos I have of us. Thank you for taking bomb pictures of me. Thank you for being the sister I never had. Thank you for always being willing to do things. I really will miss your mac & cheese and your bomb chilli.

Jailee, thank you for showing me that spiritual growth is important. You are a perfect example of a daughter of God. Even though I am older I really do look up to you. Your ability to forgive easily and always stay positive is something I am trying to achieve in my life. I loved how you always cooked--Your zucchinis are to die for by the way!- and genuinely how much you care for people.

I love how innocent you are. Seeing you everyday made my mornings. I love how you always had a routine in the morning. I admired how you woke up to do scripture study and eat breakfast for 30 minutes everyday. You always stuck it. I loved how you video called your family every Sunday and how you got so embarrassed when I walked in on a conversation with you mom on boys haha (that was so cute). Though there have been ups and downs I am grateful to have known someone as sweet as you. Thank you for going out with us even when I know you had homework or you did not really want to. Thank you for always listening.

To the girls who taught me more about myself than I could have ever imagined...Jailee, Juliana Kaylee & Kennethia- Thank you :)

Advice?

Always get to know the people around you. It takes time but as soon as you do you will wish you didn't spend the first month being awkward.

#collegeadvicelifestylesadnesshappiness #BYUgirlsroomatesfriendssistersforever