By about halfway through my senior year, I was sick and tired of everything. As much as I loved my friends, my high school, and my life back home, I was just very ready for a change. My mom has spent so much time telling me how amazing college was for her and it impresses me to see how well she keeps in touch with her college friends. Though she didn't have quite the same experience as I did in high school, she knew that I was equally struggling with the ability to open up to people and be 100% myself. Yet she always reassured me, "Don't worry, in college you are going to find your people."

While I firmly believed her, a part of me was still nervous that I wouldn't find them. I choose a large state school with a good chunk of attendance from my high school, and an even bigger chunk made up of people from nearby towns. I was afraid that somehow the cliques and friendships made across high school boundaries would somehow stick and ruin my chance at a fresh start. Last year I remember the number of times I'd stalk the people in the "UIUC Class of 2022" Facebook group, trying to figure out what they'd be like and hope that I'd find people like myself. But what terrified me most was that I wasn't going to find the people that I could unconditionally be myself around.

Boy, was I wrong. The friends that I have made here are truly "my people." We have so many commonalities--from our similar backgrounds, interests, and common past, we all hit it off instantly. Within only a few weeks, I was able to discover that most of us had similar high school experiences and all wanted to find their people, too. The friendships I've made here are the kinds you can't measure, where you have no idea how or when you became this close, but it just kind of happens. They are the kinds of people that make me feel special and wanted, and that's a greater feeling than anything. We even have a separate group chat just dedicated to memes...that's true friendship, people.

What many people from my home criticize about me choosing to attend a large, public, in-state school like Illinois is the idea that you won't escape high school. They say that you don't branch out enough and that you're stuck with a lot of people that you don't like. Well hate to break it to ya haters, but they were so wrong. Besides my couple of friends that I work hard to stay close with here, none of my immediate friend group is from my high school. And the best part is I get to go home and only have to drive fifteen minutes to see them...#theillinoisdifference! P.S. I do, in fact, avoid my least favorite people from high school here at all costs so it's fine ;)

Another important part of friendship is gossip. Sorry, mom, I know you don't like when I do it, but it's the truth. It makes it a lot easier to complain and rant to friends about school, extracurriculars, and other people when you know they also understand the struggle. Thank gosh my friends and I all hate the same people!

I've always aspired to have those kinds of friendships where you can open up about everything and anything. There have been so many times this year where I go to a friends room with the intentions of a simple task like borrowing clothes and end up overstaying your welcome and talking for hours on end. I remember one night of the first semester, where my friends and I were sitting on the ground of one of our rooms, not realizing we had been talking for over four hours until it was four hours later and we finally checked the time. Whether it's a deep talk during a sushi run, interrupting a movie night to share a funny story, or the endless talks on a three hour long walk across campus (yes we did that once), I never run out of something to talk about with them and have opened up to them about my biggest insecurities.

Thank goodness, my mom was right.

College has given me my people, and there truly is no better gift than that. No matter what time of the day or what shit has gone down, I know that any of them would be there for me in a second, and they have already proven that time and time again. I'm so lucky that I found my best friends so early into college because that means I get the privilege of spending more of my college journey with them. I know that the friends I have made during my freshman year are people that I can see staying best friends with forever.

So now I sit in my room, only a few weeks after school has ended, alone, wishing more than anything that I could be munching and gossiping with my BFFs about anything and everything. I know that I will get to see them all this summer, but nothing compares to those dorm nights. T-gosh we will all be living even closer together next year...1104 get ready for us.

To my amazing, beautiful spicy sigdelts, I love you more than the whole wide world and am so thankful to call you guys my best friends, my sisters, and MY PEOPLE. I am so grateful I got to kick off my college journey with you silly people by my side, and that we get to continue it together. Already counting down the days until we're back in Chambana, but until then, catch y'all in the burbs. XOXOX