Now that my first year of college is coming to an end, I look back and am grateful for the tears, stress, and laughter I experienced during my freshman year. I never realized I would miss having all my friends in the same hall as me, barging into my room while I am trying to take naps and the need to go do things because one of us were bored or tired of doing homework. There were many memories made in our rooms, countless study groups, movie nights, and jam sessions and I cannot think of anything better than having these memories. Living with so many people you’re constantly surrounded by throughout the day may seem a little extreme, but knowing you had someone who was going through similar things as you was always reassuring; because whether it was a stressful test or just feeling homesick, I knew I had people to go to, talk to, or just hang out with till those feelings too would pass. So I want to say thank you to my close friends that live next to me. Thank you for the countless laughs where my stomach ached and I had tears streaming down my face. Without these memories, I do not think I could have survived the stress that comes from college. I can always look back at these times knowing we had a great time and always remember the fun we had together. Thank you for being there when I needed to talk to someone about what troubled me or what made my day. Knowing that someone was there that I could tell them something embarrassing that happened to me that day, like almost being hit by a skateboarder or falling down still holding on to my bike , was something I greatly appreciate (I gave up riding my bicycle after this incident). I never shared an embarrassing moment by myself and I could almost hear you laughing before I made it back to the dorms to tell you the story. Thank you for testing out the Freshman 15 theory, even if it was unintentional. Group dinners to the dining halls and snacking throughout the day were always a must, especially if we had been doing homework for hours. I could always count on at least one person wanting an ice cream cone and us having to make the tough decision of how far we want to walk to go to the dining hall that had the best soft serve. Thank you for dealing with my grumpiness when I did not get my nap or when I was hangry, you guys were the real MVPs. I think by now we all learnt to deal with each other’s hangry words and sleepless attitudes, thank goodness or else we would not have friends or be friends. Finally, thank you for making my first year of college the best experience. Through the ups and downs, you guys were always there and I could not imagine better friends to be in the same hall with. Without you, I surely I would have gone through with my threats of dropping out after every break, hard project, and sometimes procrastinated assignments. So here is to you guys, you can never get rid of me now because this year is in the books and we all did it together We Survived!