When I entered into this school year, my roommates were basically strangers: four of them I only moderately knew, the last one was a complete stranger that I was shoved into a room with. Little did I know that this accidental arrangement would turn out to be the best mishap I'd ever encounter. Our parents worried and predicted an abundance of conflict. Our peers squinted and tilted their heads asking, "Who?" We were all polar opposites. We all had different pasts. The biology majors roomed together, the music therapy majors roomed together and then the oddballs were stuck together (art therapy and exercise science). This couldn't possibly work, could it? Yes. Our second weekend together introduced us to possibilities, the hope of new adventures and the promise of an exhilarating school year. Our laughs were contagious, our dance moves were embarrassing and our memories were replenished. We let our guards down and exposed our inner selves as the night turned into morning and the sun began to rise. That one night was the first page in a year long story in the making.

So, what am I saying to my lovely roommates? Thank you and even that isn't enough. Thank you for supporting my bad decisions like best friends do. Thank you for listening to my rants about my job. Thank you for consuming more pizza with me than humanly possible. Thank you for allowing me to vent about my heart breaks and family discrepancies. Together you were my shoulders to cry on, my own personal therapists and a large contributor in my sleep deprivation.

It hasn't been all fun and games, though. Obviously, we've had our ups and downs and getting along wasn't always easy, but one thing has been constantly certain: we've had each others backs from day one. There never was a such thing as a closed door in our room whether is was the bedroom door or the toilet room door. It was never shut. Did a boy break your heart? Come on in, I'll grab two spoons and some chocolate ice cream. You failed a test? Don't sweat it, I'll help you pass the next one. Difficult day at work? Let me make you some tea. Practice was a downer? Dance party! Effortlessly, my roommates inspired my daily smiles and showed me how to have fun once again.

Homesick is a term used whenever you don't have anyone to make an ordinary dorm a home, at least for eight months. We sure were a variety though. Some of us live states away and some of us live about an hour away, but together our simple little suite became a home, a dance club and so much more than that. We spoke of our futures and where we wanted to be while sitting on our bed-sheet covered couch attempting to finish homework or cram for an exam. Yeah, we planned to cook dinner and the idea was mouth watering, but that Chinese Buffet and Papa John's was already cooked and ready to go to serve as our "family meals." No, I don't miss home too much whenever I'm around you band of weirdos.

All in all, my roommates have been the sole reason I survived my sophomore of college. I always thought that my friends from home were the only friends I ever needed until I met you girls and now I can't imagine this summer without writing in our room bible, our daily/nightly snapchats, our not-so-accepted-by-society conversations and the nights we transformed into memories. With my roommates I've learned to laugh harder, dream bigger and just be myself because there's no such thing as judgement. Everyone dreams of having their best friend as their college roommate, but I turned my college roommates into my best friends.