One of the things that many people look forward to when they go to college is all of the new friends they will make. Whether you go to a school with 300 people or 30,000 people, you are now surrounded by tons of new faces that are so different than the same few you have been around up to this point. No matter who you were in high school, you have the chance to be whoever you want to be in college and find a group of friends to hopefully have by your side for many years into the future.

I have always admired my parents and their group of friends. Many of them went to college together and are all still friends today. Their kids are all friends and being a part of something like that has been so amazing. I have a family so much bigger than my biological one and I have loved every second growing up surrounded by them. As I went on to college, I really hoped to find some wonderful people like my parent’s friends who could be by my side for longer than just the four years of college.

I just happened to get lucky enough to find a few of those people my first weekend at school. They have continued to love and support me in all that I do, make me laugh until I can’t breathe, and make me feel as included as possible at all times. I have found friends who have in only a semester made me such a happier and better person. I have found friends that are both so different, yet we have somehow managed to complement each other so well. And the best part is, I just recently discovered that they live only ten minutes from my house. I probably never would have met them, yet I am so unbelievably blessed that college brought us together.

Now, as we enter into the coming years of college and meet many more great people, I can only hope that our friendship continues to grow as we do. I could never thank them enough for all of the happiness they continue to bring me and for all they do. I’m especially lucky to have them both only ten minutes away.