I was excited to make new friends during my first year residing on campus. The Mercy campus is really small, so I was seeing new faces every day without a doubt. However, knowing that the campus was so small made it easier to know people’s business.  Therefore, I carefully made new friends with people I truly trusted. As time went on, I slowly became close to one person during my first semester. The following semester we became closer and found new friends, too. To this day, I can say I have built amazing friendships and that I deeply cherish them. Each of my friendships is unique in its own way. I am grateful to have met them and know we will stay in contact in the future.

Grilled cheese and wings:

We connected instantly, there were similar things we were going through and it made it easier for us to understand each other. Sometimes we would get emotional about the crazy thoughts that came to our heads. It was funny because we thought so similarly and we always talked ourselves out of those crazy thoughts together. We loved food and craved many things at the same time. Grilled cheese and wings was our thing. But wait, only flat! It was so great to share that similarity with you because we know how it feels. We know it was the best go-to combo when our hormones acted crazy. It was only us and I loved that. Our talks were all about us and how we felt. We went into deep conversations and thoughts we had about our lives. She gave me the best advice when it came to resolving situations and I have done my best for her too. We supported each other and understood the things that bothered us. We trusted each other and it made it more comfortable to express our feelings. Making our brunch to cheer you up on Sunday mornings was nice and a great time. We made pancakes, bacon, and eggs, accompanied with our fake mimosas. Our minds were being cheered up with food and great company.

Spark Girls:

I will forever cherish and love my “spark girls.” There was a spark between the three of us that brought us together. We talked only a little bit during the fall but became closer in the spring semester. We have had the best vibes whether in person or on FaceTime. I honestly love our friendship and how we understand each other in so many different ways. Giving advice to each other and supporting every decision we make is a healthy friendship. Our talks are genuinely honest, comforting, and funny. You girls know what I mean when I say funny, the day I was zoning out and couldn’t stop laughing about a comment that was made. That was our first night together and definitely a night to remember. There were moments when we all couldn’t meet up due to our hectic schedules but we made the effort to see at least whoever was available. We still had a great time and great talks. These girls always gave “bad b*tch advice,” and that was the best.

Next-door neighbor:

There were times I’d seen her so cheerful and other times that cheerful girl seemed upset. When I saw those looks, I knew right away it had to do with her classes.  I remember those talks we had about the classes and how stressed she was. I knew what was up with her and I always gave her advice. No matter who was having a rough day we somehow cheered each other up. I loved how she asked questions that would lead to great conversations. She is a very caring and sweet person. We haven’t spent so much time together but the conversations meant the most to me and you knew that I was there if you needed to talk. She definitely kept my secret that I forgot about my RA meeting! She was the only one who told me and our reactions were hilarious. But it was nice how she would help me find a way to fix it. That was the funniest moment we have ever had plus things she confessed that I was so embarrassed about. But she was cool with it. She had my back, and I without a doubt had hers.

You girls are the best and I am grateful for our great friendships. I will leave Mercy College with the best memories since freshman year, but senior year was the most important one to me. I will always remember my senior year of building healthy friendships and the memories we shared of ordering takeout, deep conversations, trying new things, late nights, and so on!  It sucks that the pandemic occurred. But we check on each other frequently to talk and make sure that we are okay. The pandemic is a tough situation and it is good to check on people you care the most about; people who have been there since the start – your close friends. We had so many plans for the rest of the semester, it was going to be great. But now we just wait until the pandemic is over so we can resume those plans before I move to Florida. I am looking forward to some crazy nights!