Dear Best Friend... Love, Kathleen

Dear Sophia,

When I think back to the very first time we ever met, it boggles my mind that it was on the very first day of being on campus. That means there was never a time on our campus that I did not have you in my life, and for that I will forever be grateful. Even though I was in a mere Glenn 107 and you were just down the hall in a grand Glenn 116, our first meeting actually occurred out on the lawn, eating gluten free waffles amongst a mob of freshmen. I had just learned it was your birthday, and as you would come to learn, birthdays are my favorite celebration regardless of who it is we are celebrating. So my roommate and I wrote you a little card and brought you a muffin, in hopes that it would in some way make up for the fact that you had to share your special day with your first day of college life. Despite the fact that we lived so close to each other initially we didn’t really hang out much, it was Alpha Xi that truly brought us together. 

Our friendship really started out on the street. Our schedules were just a little bit off, so as I would be coming back from lunch at the house, I would see you walking out of the dorm only on your way to the house for lunch, and we would just hang out and catch up in the middle of the road and that would be it. This happened repeatedly, day after day and week after week, talking, chatting, hanging out, but never eating at the same time. Finally, we got it together and decided to coordinate our meals and from then on, we have never missed a meal together. From studying in the connector, to the fourth floor of the CULC, to bussing to Willage once a week. From our Pierre phase to Levitating, to our obsession with the Last Friday Night remix. From tailgates, to basketball games, to gamedays. And from mirror selfies, to date night, to formal. Whether it be school, food, music, sports, or social life, you and I have been side by side, and I could not be more thankful to have found someone so early in my college career that I get to share all of these amazing experiences with. 

Since being in my life, I have already noticed the immense effect you have had on me and our friends. You teach me to be more honest, not only with myself, but to others as well. You remind me not to take life too seriously, you would say, play a few rounds of Fightlist, watch a few episodes of The Bachelor, and you’ll be fine. You always make me feel like a kid at heart, I call you baby pia or floppy baby, because you show me how fun it is to run it back to the good old days of board games, pool parties, and Taylor Swift: Fearless edition. I effectively lived in your room last year, having sleepovers despite the fact that I lived 4 doors down, monopolizing the use of your roommate’s TV, and using 116 as the official “get ready” room for every event that we had. Now, however, we are going to be living together, so unfortunately for you, there will be no getting rid of me. In all seriousness, I love you so much, and there is no person I would have rather shared each of these memories with, and I cannot wait to make a million more.

All the love, 

Kathleen 

Tessa Orozco