Vaughn 529, you will be missed
Learning to share a 12 ft. by 19 ft. room with 2 other people might be one of the biggest adjustments of college. Walking in to the room on the first day was like walking into a jail cell. The walls were bare and there was an uncertainty about sharing such a small space with total strangers. But, as the time went on, pictures and tapestries were hung and I found myself a new home.
More importantly, I found myself a new family.
After long days of studying and classes, the most comforting thing is knowing you have a familiar place that you can call your own to return to. Vaughn 529 was the place where I would grow into an independent adult. It would become my second home right in front of my eyes without me fully realizing it. It’s where my roommates and I get together after a long day and rant about the professor we hate or the test we just failed. My dorm tripled as a kitchen, study room, and bedroom. I experienced many firsts in my dorm, from the first time I felt homesick and called my parents balling my eyes out, my first college finals, and my first college party (my roomies and I know there are many others but some things are better left unsaid). My roommates and I made some memories there that will never be forgotten.
For most, your freshman year dorm is your first “home away from home”. As the year comes to an end and I part ways with friends, I can confidently say that I will also miss Vaughn 529. Sure it looks just like any other college dorm, but to me it’s so much more. It’s where I met my best friends. It’s where I laughed so hard I cried because of something my roommates said and where I actually cried after learning my uncle passed away. Its where we studied until 3 a.m. in the morning and where we played music as loud as we wanted (or until we got a noise complaint). Even as I return to my actual home I will never forget the comfort of my freshman dorm. A word of advice for incoming college freshmen: the dorms may seem terrible, but cherish every moment spent there because come the end of the year you’ll be sad to let it all go.