As I was laying in my dorm room in Columbia Hall, poised to write this article, I was at a loss for what to write about. However, after much deliberation, I decided to be mainstream and just write an open letter. I wanted to be unique, though; it seems as though most of Odyssey is open letters nowadays. So, instead of writing to a specific person, I decided to write about the thing that has shaped me into the person I am now: college. "College" includes all the people I've met and the physical campus.
I thought of this because today is the one year anniversary of my finalized decision to attend Elmira College. Elmira has been the home I never thought it would be. I was so afraid of leaving my hometown and everything I'd known for my first 18 years on this planet. I'm not one to be a supporter of huge change, especially change like jumping into a new place where I barely knew anyone. I never knew that Elmira, NY, would feel so much like home in the sense that I feel as though I have family here and that I fit in perfectly.
My family here is a huge one, spanning from the girls on my floor to people I've met in classes and clubs. They each have a place in my heart, even if the most I ever say to them is a, "Hi, how are you?" from time to time. These people have influenced me to become a better person and to understand that you can't always be the best and that's OK. I have become a much more polite person--believe it or not, I never even used to hold doors open for people—because of this campus. People here are nice and friendly, so I just fell into the routine of holding doors and being polite.
As I was thrown into this new part of my life, I needed some guidance. That guidance came from my lovely RAs first. The moment I walked into Columbia on move-in day, the two RAs on my floor were there to help with anything I needed. After a few weeks of being here, I met the rest of the RAs in the building and I was happy to find out that they were just like the first two: helpful and sweet. As my journey through college progressed, my bonds with them strengthened. They're very good friends of mine now, which is something I never thought would happen. They were there for me when the going got tough and helped when I had questions (or complaints, although I have an unresolved complaint: the grievance box was never put up). If I had a problem with anyone, specifically boys, my RA made it clear that she would absolutely write them up if they were to ever hurt me. It is fantastic to know that all of the RAs have my back and are there for whatever I need. So, thank you girls for helping me be a beautiful person like yourselves.
Though the RAs acted as older siblings or even parents sometimes, what really made the family complete was my floormates. I was pulled into a beautiful group of ladies that I wouldn't trade for the world. From the late night study sessions to hilarious shenanigans, they became my extended family. I couldn't imagine having better friends to spend the majority of my time with. We're even all in the same living spaces for next year. I never believed that I'd find some of my best friends in college, but here I am, with at least seven girls I can easily call best friends. Thank you for being there when I needed a good talk or when we had impulse adventures. You were the ones who really made college feel like home.
As term I came to a close and term II began, I found myself making more friends than those on my floor. Sure, in term I I had a few friends in my classes--shout out to my favorite Bio lab group, you guys have a special place in my heart since I helped two of you pass Biology--but it wasn't until term II that I found a lot of different people to call friends.
Though I wasn't a part of it long, my soccer team is a group of wonderful ladies that took me in happily. The coaches were inviting, so I knew that trying out was a great idea. However, that's just what it was: tryouts. And with trying out comes the possibility of failure, which unfortunately was the outcome. I'm not at all mad; I knew it was a long shot, as being a college athlete takes a lot out of you. My coaches loved me, but my knee injury definitely hindered my skill level. Things do happen for a reason though and they offered me the job of manager for next fall so I could still be a part of the team. You girls are some of the best people I've met on this campus and I hope to keep being your friend even though I'm not technically on the team.
Last, but certainly not least, are the upperclassmen that I met sporadically through mutual friends. Most of you are graduating, which makes me really upset. You guys are so chill and I'm not sure what I would've done without you. I loved hanging out in your various rooms and I hope to be as awesome as you when I'm an upperclassman. You were like my super cool cousins that I only see a couple of times a year. So, to those graduating, I'll miss you. To the others, among them being my lovely boyfriend, I can't wait to make more hilarious memories in the coming years. Thanks to all of you for getting me through my first year in college with most of my memories intact.
Without all of these fantastic people, I'm not sure Elmira would feel so much like home. Them, along with the beautiful spirit of the campus itself, made me more or less fall in love with college life. I love the people and the feel, but the amount of work...that I could go without.
