Leaving for college is a traumatizing experience for all freshmen. We leave the places and people we have spent a lifetime getting to know and love for the opportunity to live with complete strangers in an unfamiliar environment. Lucky for me, I found the most amazing people in the world when I came to Allegheny, people that I can confidently say will never get rid of me whether they would like to or not. I'm using false names to protect my friends' privacy.

First there is my roommate, Beatrice. She is from a well-known Canadian province right on the border. Though she is a little more on the quiet and serious side, we balance each other out perfectly. She is my number one fan at soccer games, where she faithfully chases and replaces balls we kick off the field. Back in the room she is constantly speaking a foreign language (also known as organic chemistry and biology), working diligently into the night on what seems to me like useless pieces of information but are bound to determine the next four years of her life. We share the love of our life in Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Our refrigerator is literally stocked with two bags of Reese's at any given time. Beatrice is the older sister I never had, even if it is only by two days. Her mom pushes the same buttons on her as my mom does on me. I went to visit her for a week this summer and felt as though her family had adopted me. I can't imagine school without her or living with another person.

Next there is Gertrude. Gertrude was the third member of Baldwin C202 last year. She, like half the student population at Allegheny, is from Pittsburgh. Gertrude was the mom of the group last year, she is the oldest and whenever I needed advice or to be taken care of last year she was there. She too shares mine and Beatrice's love for Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Gertrude decided to spend this fall semester studying abroad in Germany, much to the dismay of the rest of us. I really miss her. Sometimes it gets difficult there being only two of us in the room this year. We played intramural basketball together last year, and our team won the championship. She too is on the quiet side and doesn't usually make fun of others in the group. Though she does like to rub in the fact that Pittsburgh has beat the Browns for the last four years. Together we were awful influences on each other. Anytime there was a question of whether or not we wanted a cookie or a piece of candy the other was always right there saying, you know. you worked out today. or you had a mid-term today. you should definitely have that cookie. I probably gained 10 pounds because of her last year and wish that she was here pushing me to gain another 10 instead of in Germany drinking legally and getting married to Roger Feder.

Svetlana is the healthy one in the group, at dinner she goes for a salad while the rest of us go for a little bit of everything. She is also a towny; well, she lives 20 minutes away, but it's pretty much the same thing. She was valedictorian of her high school class and is going to pick apart my brain sometime in the future. Probably the most quiet of the group until you get to know her, then she can't stop telling us how much she loves us. Svetlana and Herold are dating though they did not care to inform the rest of us, which earned them a red star. Svetty is probably the most sane one of all of us too. She doesn't get caught up in drama, instead letting most of it roll off her shoulders and doesn't ever seem to stress out about school work, which is something I truly admire. She loves cereal. But its healthy cereal so I guess it's OK she has two bowls a day. She loves Strawberry Cheesequake Blizzards too and gets mad when we get her mediums instead of smalls.

Mildred is my exact opposite. She is not conservative in the least. If I didn't know her I would think she was drunk 24/7, but she never has been, which is really cool. She is also allergic to life in the form of nuts, peanut butter, and dogs. I have to watch when I eat Reese's Cups in her room because if I touch something with peanut butter on my hands she may die. If I ever get mad at her I am going to peanut butter her door handle and cell phone, thus cutting her off from the rest of the world. She is the crazy loud one in the group. The people in our hall can hear her talking on a daily basis and she finds the fact we live on a quiet hall completely ridiculous.

Mildred is from Dirty Jersey, which you can tell from her pronunciation of water. Mildred is brutally honest even when you don't want her to be, which is a good thing. We all need someone to tell us when we are being completely off-base. She is totally comfortable with herself, which is something I find awesome, I really wish I had her confidence in life.

Dorthia is the devil. Not literally, but I call her that anyway. She's likes the tall, dark and handsome type. She is from what she calls one of the most boring cities in New York. She hates being licked, so I threaten to lick her when she calls me the devil.

Dorthia looks for the good in everyone, which is something I should really try doing. She is my spiritual equal in the group. We have discussions about our faith and our goals in life, that the rest of the group doesn't understand. She was kind of the fourth roommate last year. Most of the time she slept on our futon or when I wasn't there in my bed. This year she lives on the opposite side of campus, which is really unfortunate because we don't get to see her as much. She is an amazing piano player/singer and is going to write her own song one of these days. She can speak French and is going to leave us to study abroad in the fall, which is something I'm not OK with. She is losing the gold star chart because she enjoys ping pong way too much.

Herold is new to the group, he is the newbie. At least for now he has taken Gertrude's place, although he is more hairy than she is. He is a HUGE Steelers fan and has no problem reminding me of what an embarrassment the Browns are to the state of Ohio. He doesn't believe the Blue Jackets are going to win the Stanley Cup this year, then again nobody does. He has been a nice addition to the group. He provides entertainment because of some ghosts in his past. Now there are no ghosts, just Svetty, which is a good thing. Most of the time he too speaks the foreign language of organic chemistry, although he doesn't get mad when I interrupt whatever it is they are saying with my rants of how great Ohio State is. I think he is an Ohio State fan at heart, he just doesn't want to admit it.

Jeff is a giant teddy bear. He gives some of the best hugs ever. Whenever I need a guy's perspective on something I go to Jeff. He finds pleasure in treating us to Dairy Queen on a regular basis, although he always gets us a size bigger than what we ask for. He enjoys reminding me of the fact that I am on the short side of life and that Florida beat Ohio State in two national championships in the same year. Jeff has one of the biggest hearts ever, he would truly do anything for my friends and I. When he finds something he is passionate about he clings to it. For example, if it were up to him everyone in the world would listen to Taylor Swift and play baseball. He is also one of the biggest suck-ups I have ever met, which can be both a good thing and a bad thing. Jeff wants to be a doctor and I think he would make a great pediatrician, because he is good with kids and could make just about anyone feel better. Jeff takes me to Pittsburgh so I can get chipotle, which is the most amazing thing ever because I could not go two months without having it.

These people are the reason I'm still at Allegheny. I would not have made it through the last year and a half without them. We have a gold star chart for when someone says or does something funny and if we do something stupid or someone makes fun of me red stars (a negative point) are awarded. They are my best friends, they have seen me at my best and worst and love me all the same. I don't know what I did to be blessed with friends such as them, but I am thankful everyday for the people they are and the things they have taught
me. If any of you read this, thanks and I love you!