There is the people that annoyed me when they left the room too dirty. The ones who woke me up too early in the morning getting ready for their 8 am class when I didn't have one until noon.The ones who always turned off my Grey's Anatomy so they could study. But no matter how much they made me mad sometimes, they are also the ones who taught me many valuable lessons.

1. They taught me to love myself

College is intense. Society is different at this age, and it's expectations are only growing. I always worried about whether I was good enough, or if I was beautiful enough, skinny enough, fit enough, healthy enough, tall/short enough. The one thing my roommates were great at, was helping me see myself as enough. We always helped each other get ready if we needed it, meal planned and worked out together, motivated and pushed each other. We kept each other accountable towards our goals, and reminded each other at the end of the day that we were enough.

2. They taught me that it's okay to cry

I'm not the type of person to just cry when I'm sad or when things upset me. I cry when I'm really mad, or when things become too much for me to handle. However, I had a lot of bad events occur in my life this year. They were there watching me let it all build up, let it all consume me. Until one day, they were talking to me and I just cried. They comforted me and told me that sometimes, we deserve a good cry.

3. They showed me that everything is not as big of a deal as it seems

I am known for over exaggerating situations. I look at them as Mount Everest, when in reality, they are an ant hill. My two roommates continued to help put my problems into perspective, and pushed me to just breathe. I realized that my problems were not as big as I thought.

4. They taught me that everything will be okay

I'm also known for letting situations overwhelm me, and make me feel like my world is falling apart. Ironically, none of the time was this the truth. My roommates taught me that every storm runs out of rain, and that we have to wake up each day with the mindset that things will get better. They taught me to stay strong, and keep on keeping on, because before I knew it, things would be better -- and most of the time they were.

5. They taught me that it's not good to hold it all in

Some people talk about their issues the moment they occur, others bottle it all up until they cannot bear it anymore. I fall into the lather group. My roommates helped me become a person who was able to talk about my problems rather than avoid them until I blow up -- unfortunately it took a few blow ups before I mastered this one.

6. They taught me how to have fun

My first semester of college was not the best. I didn't go out, I didn't do anything really. I did absolutely nothing if I'm being honest. My roommates saw that. They saw me pass on going to dinner with friends, or just to go out to a party. They watched me pass up on anything that would bring me fun and joy. Then, they began to force me to do these things. Not necessarily force, but in the same sense they helped me get out. They showed me that there was so much more to this life, and college, than staying on top of your school work. A lesson I truly needed.

7. They taught me how to express my feelings

Like I said above, I'm one to hold everything in. From the little things, to the big things. And although, getting me to express my feelings started out with having huge blowouts with my roommates countless times, it led to us all being able to be freely open with each other and this is a lesson I have carried with me beyond that dorm room. I now know how to be open about how I'm feeling, and it's a skill I needed to learn.

8. They taught me that it's okay to need someone

I don't like to need someone. I'm the lone wolf, the one who likes to walk alone and be independent. I don't like to depend on someone, or to feel like I need someone to be there for me. I like to be strong, and in my head, needing someone shows weakness. However, my roommates taught me that needing someone is not weakness, and they taught me to look at it as even more strength, for having someone on your side adds to your knowledge and helpfulness. I finally know that I can need someone without feeling weak for it.

9. They taught me to face your problems head on

I've never been the type of person to want to face my problems - a sad truth - but a truth. Things that upset me, or bring me problems, I don't like to worry about. I try to forget about them, and hope that they'll go away on their own. However, we all know this never works. My roommates showed me that I needed to step up, and take responsibility for my actions no matter how hard, and only after that, will the bad go away so that the good can come.

10. Most importantly, they taught me how to be happy

I think being happy is a thing that mostly everyone struggles with. We make up these equations in our head of "this + this + this - this = happiness." And when we don't have one of these components, we decide that we won't be happy until we find it. And that is just plain wrong. My roommates taught me that its okay to not always have one of these things that we think make up our happiness. They showed me that happiness is based on our mindset. That if we put our mind to being happy, and fake it until we make it, that we will find happiness soon enough. They also taught me to always give it to God, something I still struggle with today. But I can truly say that I am so much happier now than I was, because of them.

Thank you Sandra and Jenny. You two helped me become a more confident, healthy, and happy person, and I am so very thankful. I couldn't have asked for two better roommates my freshman year.