Here at Wake Forest, first year students have no say or choice in picking their freshman year roommates. Coming in to school, this terrified me. I was constantly wondering, what if I get paired with someone who steals my stuff, or what if I get paired with a jerk? What if my roommate is psycho? And most importantly, what if my roommate likes to keep the room hot? I could not have more questions, and when Wake Finally released the names of our roommates, I was quick to jump on Facebook and google the girl I had been paired with.

Her name was Kaitlyn Gallitano, and she was from Boston, Massachusetts. As I quickly pulled up her profile, I remember being so relieved that she looked nice and normal. I nervously typed out a message with an awkward introduction about being roommates, and we spent the summer having short conversations about what to bring and other room décor items.

Then, quickly summer came to an end and move-in day approached: I finally was going to meet my future roommate. I remember being nervous but excited, as I hoped she’d be as nice as she seemed over text. Move-in day went great; I remember sighing of relief when I realized she wasn’t insane, and we moved in with our parents and had awkward small talk. Later that day, we bonded in our room and filled out our roommate agreements while we laughed and talked about past memories, and new ones that were to come, if only I had known what the upcoming year was to hold with this wonderful girl!

Inspired by the year coming to a close, I just wanted to write a short list of things to thank my first ever roommate for; our dysfunctional room will always be missed.

1. Thanks for putting up with my super weird sleeping schedule.
2. Thanks for waking me up when I slept through my alarm for the 56^th time.
3. Thanks for inspiring me to be as productive as you.
4. Thanks for always being there for me whenever I had a problem.
5. Thanks for letting me often leave our room in shambles even though it drives you crazy.
6. Thanks for not getting annoyed when I make you watch 700 puppy videos in a row.
7. Thanks for always telling me about your day and asking to hear about mine.
8. Thanks for always knowing how to make me laugh even after a stressful day.
9. Thanks for writing me notes of encouragement when I have big tests coming up.
10. Thanks for not locking me out even when I lose my key for the 100^th time.
11. Thanks for letting me spend your countless food dollars by stocking up on Sour Patch Watermelon at the Pod.
12. Thanks for letting me take up the majority of the fridge with my weird gluten-free/dairy-free foods.
13. Most importantly, thank you for not only being my freshman roommate, but my friend as well.

This year has been so much fun with your constant shenanigans and stories; I’ll miss you, Kaitlyn! I’ll make sure to come visit you next year as you camp out in the bridge because you forgot your computer password for the 17^th time!