One of the most incredible things we have in life is friendship. When I first came to A&M as a freshman, I was extremely excited to be a part of such an amazing environment while getting an education. I knew that there would be a place for me and that I hoped that I would meet friends that would be there for me like my best friend from first grade always had been. My best friend, Will, had been there for me since the first day of first grade. When college rolled around, it was finally time to go our separate ways. He went to the University of Texas and I went to Texas A&M and we’d known this time would come since middle school. I was highly doubtful that I would find anyone who understood me as much as my childhood best friend and I didn’t really want another best friend anyways. I decided to go potluck in choosing roommates for my freshman year and I had no idea what to expect and honestly, I started to fear the concept of change in my life. 

            I moved into my dorm, the day before I would be starting recruitment week and hopefully be joining a sorority. I’d met two of my roommates when I first moved in that day and was told that my third roommate, Ashton, would be arriving later in the day. When she arrived, we discovered that we would both be going through recruitment and one week later, by happy coincidence, we ended up pledging the same sorority. Within the first two weeks of knowing one another, we had already laughed together, cried together and shared some of our innermost curious thoughts about the world. I chose to seek out change and let Ashton get to know me and understand me even though she hadn’t been there for me since childhood. 

            We took on freshman year together and were there for each other through everything. Our friendship is imperfect and our lives have both undergone countless changes since that year. There is so much to discover in meeting new people and you never know when meeting someone is going to impact your life in such a big way. Support comes from knowing one another well and making the effort to understand their perspective of things in any situation. The things I’ve learned throughout this friendship have also helped define me as a person. I learned that embracing change, as part of life’s process and letting new people into your life are a vital part of growing. 

            Both professionally and personally, there is always a way that you can be impacted and bettered by another person’s experience. I’ve found that learning about someone else and investing in them is what builds solid relationships in life. Just as people change, life will also change. However, change doesn’t always have to be negative and something you are forced into. It can be something that is comprised with willingness, in addition to having hope that you will always discover something valuable in the process.