A victory lap with my ride or die

Going into college I was absolutely terrified. I was so scared I wouldn’t make any friends, and I would be alone in my dorm room watching Love Is Blind all day. I mean who could resist. 

But I was also excited about the possibility of all of these new opportunities at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg. It felt exciting to think about having a group of girls to eat at Scranton Commons with or sit around and talk about celebrity drama with. 

"Man, Johnny Depp will never recover from this!" 

"Oh, poor Brittney. Free her!"

I felt so ready to leave Cedar Cliff High School in the past and start the next stage of my life. Although the thought of being friendless scared the crap out of me, I knew this is the risk I had to take. I thought if I kept an open mind and talked to as many people as possible, I’d find a group of friends to call my own. Talking to the girls in Columbia Hall is what really helped me. My freshman roommate and a girl who lived across the hall were the two who helped me branch out and meet new people. Sure, enough one day my sophomore year one of them introduced me to my best friend Morgan.

Up to that point, I struggled with not feeling included in the group of girls I met through my roommate. I wanted to be invited to all the random trips to Walmart snacks, the late-night Jersey Shore watch marathons, and the study sessions to finish those last-minute assignments, but I didn’t want to seem needy. I had the feeling these girls were definitely close friends of mine, but none of them were “my person." 

Then one of those girls introduced me to Morgan, and we just hit it off. She was always the one to invite me to all those things I felt left out of before. Our friendship went from just hanging out at parties on the weekend to doing absolutely everything together. Sure, we still like to go out with each other on the weekends, but the times when we truly connect with one another is when we go to the grocery store, or the student rec center, or we just spend the whole day sitting on the couch watching guilty pleasure reality TV shows like Vanderpump Rules.

I'm so incredibly grateful I have her to go through this experience with. College is hard to navigate. Classes and schoolwork are stressful and on top of it there are always personal problems like friendship drama or issues at home to deal with. It can just be a lot sometimes, but with Morgan by my side, it makes it a lot more manageable. She is always there to listen and gives the best advice. She has been my support system through the last three years, and I couldn’t be more grateful. 

Everyone dreams of having that one best friend they do everything with ... that they share everything with ... that is their ride or die. I truly believe you can find that in college just like I did. College life brings people closer together because no one understands the stress, schedule, and mindset of being a full-time student more than the ones you're doing it with. 

To survive you need to have that person by your side. I always have this feeling that everything happens for a reason, and I knew there was a reason I came to Bloom. I came here because I was meant to meet my best friend and when you’re least expecting it, you’ll find your Morgan too.

So, from now until we graduate in May, I’m going to appreciate every moment I get with her by making sure we have that Fourth Taco trip, or we drive to my hometown together. I’m going to enjoy every time we go to the gym, cook Italian food together, or watch The Kardashians for hours straight. 

Soon I’ll move back to the Harrisburg area, and she’ll move back to the Philly area for the last time. We’ll live two hours away and won't be able to see each other every day. We're going to have to plan times to see each other instead of texting “Wanna go get coffee in 5 minutes?” 

But just because our relationship will look a little different doesn't mean she'll ever stop being my best friend. I'll always be so grateful I found her.

— Monica Wilt, a senior communication studies major at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg with an emphasis on organizational communication, is interning with the Office of Marketing and Communications this spring. She is a native of New Cumberland, who loves Taylor Swift, Philadelphia 76ers, and the show Survivor.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

We did it together!

Coming into my last semester, I was beyond excited to finally live with my four best friends. I think to myself now, with little left of my time here at Bloomsburg, where did the time go?

It’s times like these I wish I had a time machine and could hit replay. All my roommates live at least two hours away from me, and I’m going from seeing them every second of my days to parting ways to go back home. It’s a bittersweet moment, sitting down and taking everything in.

This entire year brought me so much closer to my best friends, which I did not think was possible. It made me realize that yes it is sad, but finishing college with my girls is a beautiful accomplishment ... and now, we'll smile and say “We did it together!”

I feel so proud of myself for pushing through the hard times and continuing college after taking my semester off. Looking back, I wouldn't have developed and grown these bonds with these girls if it were not for coming back. I could never imagine a life where I did not pick up these last two years of memories, laughter, love, and tears. If you have the chance to live with your favorite people, don’t pass it up.

To any incoming freshman, I promise you're going to meet your best friends here. Living in Elwell my first year, I was terrified it was never going to happen for me ... but now I’m blessed that Bloomsburg brought me girls I'll talk to for the rest of my life, way past graduation.

— Sarah O'Leary, a senior communication studies major with an emphasis on interpersonal communication, is interning with the Office of Marketing and Communications this spring. She is a native of Scranton and is an avid Harry Styles fan.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Always one FaceTime away

 

Dating is a key component of college life. And, it comes in many forms. There’s typical dating. There's a study date. And my favorite, a food date. 

This is where Kelly comes in. Kelly and I have always had a special bond, especially after we got to know each other more during our sophomore year. When I first met her, I could tell she had thick skin and was someone who would do anything for her closest girlfriends. 

Chick-fil-A has always been our go-to for food dates, and now we're roommates ... two years later, it still is. These are little moments I’ve cherished since the start. These times have only brought us closer together. Kelly has taught me how to be confident, set boundaries for myself, and taught me how to have thicker skin too.

Kelly comes from Staten Island, a borough of New York City. Her heavy New York accent has always been something I love. I have never visited Kelly, although New York is one of my favorite places to visit. This summer after graduation, we plan on making a trip together to celebrate before we part ways. 

Kelly’s room is right next to mine in our apartment, which is so comforting, because I know she’s always there for me whenever I need to talk to someone. There’s been late nights where we have stayed up together and had conversations that have lasted for hours on end when either of us were feeling down.

Kelly has always given me the best advice, and I know she has truly shaped me into the woman I am today. I can say when we first met, my self-confidence was not there. I was constantly juggling something new with my self-identity while going through one of the hardest times of my life. By no means has our senior year been perfect. We’ve all had our ups and downs, but I could honestly say I'm so proud of us for who we have become today. I would call Kelly my therapist friend, because it's been proven countless times her advice has brought me nothing but self-improvement and love.

Now in our final year together, we’ve taken our Chick-fil-A dates to sushi dates at Oliran and make it a habit to do sushi Sundays together whenever we can. Kelly and I grabbing lunch together twice a month while at school is something I’ll always prioritize up until the day we part ways. We don't have to be together every second — but when we are — I know I feel safe and am with someone who will always have my best interest at heart. I’ll miss going out for food with her after we graduate but always know she’s one call or FaceTime away when I’m looking for someone to make me smile.

— Sarah O'Leary, a senior communication studies major with an emphasis on interpersonal communication, is interning with the Office of Marketing and Communications this spring. She is a native of Scranton and is an avid Harry Styles fan.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Look at your friends, look how they shine for you

Having a best friend that knows you inside and out is such a wholesome feeling. Someone that relates to you and understands certain aspects of yourself and what you’re thinking by just an expression on your face. Bloomsburg has given me many friends and a place to call home, but one person in particular has been there for me through some of the hardest times of my life. Someone who I can unapologetically be myself around while knowing she’ll be in my life forever.

Morgan was a transfer student from New Jersey. She came to Bloomsburg as a sophomore, so she was starting all over again, which was a feeling I once experienced. She was the first one I met out of our entire friend group, and we instantly clicked as if I knew her my entire life. I soon found out she lived right across the street from me, so I went over to her apartment almost every day. 

Over the next few months, we started bonding over similar interests we shared, music being a big one of them. To this day, we make it a habit to play the music we love together when we go on long car rides, our favorite being “Yellow” by Coldplay. Listening to this song has become something that instantly reminds me of Morgan, a feeling of warmth and comfort in knowing I could always count on her.

Morgan is a big part of shaping me into the person I am today. Before the pandemic first started, I was really going through a tough time in my life, which led to me taking off a semester from school. Throughout that first half of that semester, I watched from home as my friends continued on with their lives, before being sent home right about the time spring break was over. 

This is when everything with COVID-19 hit, and what we thought was going to be an extended spring break, turned out we would be staying home for months. This was one of the biggest changes that could have happened right before our senior year. Now in our final and last spring semester, things are finally starting to feel like they used to.

The pandemic had a huge impact on everyone, not just college students, but all around the world. It’s hard to imagine getting through this big change without the support of my closest friends and family, such as Morgan. Even though at the time I was technically not in school, I was still supporting my friends that found out their school year abruptly ended. 

Since Morgan lived over two hours away from me, we stayed in touch by FaceTiming on the weekends, anticipating the next time we would be able to see each other in person. Morgan and I are roommates now in our final year. I’m so thankful I decided to continue my education back at Bloomsburg, and be able to graduate with someone who is so close to my heart.

— Sarah O'Leary, a senior communication studies major with an emphasis on interpersonal communication, is interning with the Office of Marketing and Communications this spring. She is a native of Scranton and is an avid Harry Styles fan.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

It’s right here, don’t waste it

It didn’t happen right away for me in college, but it eventually did. Meeting those forever friends is one of those precious college checklist items. It can be frustrating and depressing when it doesn’t happen early or even at all your freshman year. Rest assured it will — especially in a place like Bloomsburg.

For me it was the start of my sophomore year. I met four girls who I didn’t know at the time would change my life forever. They would go on to become my best friends. We’ve lived together for the next two years. We’ve laughed together. We’ve fought. We’ve made up, and we’ve cried. But best of all we’ve been together for it all, and soon we’ll graduate college together.

It feels so surreal to have met these four coming in to college feeling so lost to now having such a strong connection to these girls who were once strangers. Morgan, Leah, Kelly, Olivia … thank you for giving me a great college friendship experience.

Leah comes from Williamsport, a city famously known for the Little League World Series, which is a little over a two-hour drive from me. I remember first meeting her and instantly connecting with her bubbly personality and ability to make anyone laugh.

At the time she lived at Glenside apartments downtown, which was a far walk from where I lived in Soltz Hall on campus. That did not stop us from hanging out almost every day. Leah was always ready to pick me up, listen to our favorite song “Better Not” by Louis The Child and drive to Panera for lunch.

I could also relate to Leah in a lot of aspects just from the first few months of knowing her. She understood me and my struggles and was always there to lift me up when I was in a funk. She would reassure me that balancing life issues and college at the same time is not always easy.

Leah is two years older than me, so I’ve always looked up to her in a big sister aspect. She’s a social work major, so her compassion for wanting to help people in need showed every day, having one of the biggest hearts out of anyone I’ve ever met.

A specific memory that sticks out when I think of Leah was when we went to the beach together over summer of 2020. We booked an Airbnb for a few days in New Jersey and spent those days soaking up the sun. When I think of my happy place, the beach immediately comes to mind. What better way to spend it with one of your favorite people?

I felt like we picked up from where we left off, as if we never were apart from one another. In high school you think you have your group of friends who’ll always be in your life — but the truth is — it’s okay to outgrow them. You lose touch with them in your first year of college, and maybe you go home and see them over break. Meeting your college friends is like a breath of fresh air though.

I was scared to open up to new girls such as Leah, but her unconditional support and my trust in her just keeps growing every day. This semester, Leah decided to move out on her own. She thought we would be upset or that it meant we would see less of her. Just the opposite. Her decision was best for her and her mental health, and if anything, it only made us happier for her. I still take time to reach out and call her to see how she’s doing, and I know when it comes time for graduation, she’ll be right by my side telling me that, “We did it!” Leah has been there for me through thick and thin, and it’s the same for me with her.

A lesson I learned as I’ve grown throughout my college years is that you have to prioritize yourself. Setting boundaries and knowing your limit is important in college, because things take a huge shift and are not always easy. You have to know when you’re balancing too much — school, friendships, work, and just in general life, and everyday problems we might have.

That’s why when Leah decided it was time to part ways with Bloomsburg, she was prioritizing mental health, even though it was a decision that involved us too in the roommate perspective. Despite the fact we had to find someone new for our lease, our friendship and support for Leah came first. Mental health is something that should always be taken seriously, no matter the circumstances.

— Sarah O'Leary, a senior communication studies major with an emphasis on interpersonal communication, is interning with the Office of Marketing and Communications this spring. She is a native of Scranton and is an avid Harry Styles fan.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Whatever the path, make it yours

I’m not gonna lie, my first semester of college was rough. Within days of starting of school I was living by myself in Elwell Hall with constant thoughts I was never going to be able to form a friendship. Everyone else on my floor had a roommate and someone close to connect with.

 
Adding to that stress I realized after nearly failing my first college biology class, maybe I should reconsider my major. I thought I wanted to go into radiology. I thought making friends in college would be super easy.

 
I thought I had this college thing figured out.

 
From visiting Bloomsburg in the summer to moving in and then to the first week of classes, I had this overwhelming fear about adjusting to such a big change from high school. And before the fall was over it was becoming true.

 
One clear thing hits you when you reach college. You’re on your own. It can be thrilling and quite rejuvenating. It can be motivating. It can also be down-right frightening. So, I took it upon myself to really figure it out — to find my path. They say college is a journey. It’s where you follow your career dreams and find yourself. Actually, that’s what I did at Bloomsburg.

Up first was my major. I didn’t wait it out and immediately went to my advisor to discuss the other options I had. As a freshman you want to do well right from the start and make your family proud — make yourself proud. I always heard of people coming into college being undecided without a major, which was something I never considered. I thought going into college I already had to have everything figured out, which is the furthest thing from the truth.

 
It's okay to be undecided, and it’s okay to change.

 
So, I then changed my major to communication studies, focusing on the track of interpersonal communication. I had already taken an interpersonal communication class and enjoyed it. The professor was great and very supportive. My sister had been a communication studies major at another school, so I knew a little about what I was getting into.

 

People often underestimate communication studies and the opportunities it could bring after college. The courses I’ve taken over the years have been anything but easy. I had to take public speaking, which was a fear of mine I never thought I could overcome. The thought of standing in front of a classroom of strangers to make speeches about my beliefs or touchy subjects scared me to death. There were also rules of public speaking I had to learn, like constant eye contact with your audience and not always looking at flashcards. I got through the hard courses though, and fast forward to my last semester, I’ve already completed my major courses I need for graduation.

 
This was the best decision I could’ve made! I’ll forever be grateful to my younger self for deciding to make a change when it was needed — to choose a new path, right there and not later. This was something truly meant for me.

 
Me … yes, back to me. That first semester seemed to be just that … me. I was lost in my major, and I was lost in my search for friendships. So, much like my major I took it upon myself to figure it out. If it wasn’t going to be as easy as I thought to find friends, I would make it easy for them to find me. I left my (residence hall) door open. I chatted with others at hall meetings, and I made it a point to make friends in class.

 
Simply put, I made friends. Though unlike many fellow freshmen and my Elwell neighbors I had yet to find my best friends, my people — my Bloom people. I learned that’s okay. It doesn’t happen for everyone their first semester or their first year of college. But it does happen, trust me.

And it’s absolutely the best thing about college.

 
— Sarah O'Leary, a senior communication studies major with an emphasis on interpersonal communication, is interning with the Office of Marketing and Communications this spring. She is a native of Scranton and is an avid Harry Styles fan.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Live every day as a Husky like it's your last

One minute I was in South Beach, Miami, with my best friends. We’d been waiting for this trip all semester counting down the days. In my head it was the start of a fun rest of my final semester. I knew warmer weather was coming to Bloomsburg, and it’s always my favorite part of the year when everyone is outside the last couple months.

I spent that week with some of my very best friends from my college career, and we spent that whole week so happy and living life to the fullest. We had no clue that our time as college seniors was over.

That all took a turn as the week progressed. We found out spring break was extended and at that point like any college student we were happy. But as we found out how serious this all is and the news that we would not be returning, it felt unreal. If someone were to ever tell us, “Hey your senior year is going to end in early March.”

We probably would have done a lot of things different. We would’ve taken advantage of the times we were together more. We would’ve said yes to dinners, drives, living room hangouts- really anything, if we had known it was over.

As awesome as the technology we’re all lucky to have is, it doesn’t make up for the lost memories. I'm happy I still get to text, Facetime, and Snapchat, my best friends in a time where we're unable to spend the time together.

As a senior there were so many things I thought I had more time to do. I wasn’t at the point where I was thinking I was doing my “lasts.” I wish we all could have known that our end was about to be cut short.

If there's anything I could say to my younger friends who are coming back to Bloomsburg in the fall; I would say don’t fail to take advantage of any time you have with your best friends in this town.

Go to commons as a group, stay up all night binge watching that show with your roommates, don’t be annoyed you have to attend that chapter meeting, walk around campus and take in the beauty of the trees and the people you’re surrounded by.

Appreciate every day you have left, and use this as a reminder that not everything is going to go as planned. They say you should live every day like your last — so make sure you live every day as a Husky like it's your last, because it might be. For many of us it is.

We will find a way to give Bloomsburg a proper goodbye, but for now all we can do is be thankful for the memories we have that make this so hard, and overall be thankful for our health.

— Drew Hess, a senior communication studies major and emergent media minor, is interning with the Office of Marketing and Communications. She is a native of Stowe, Vt., a town of 4,472 people in northern Vermont known for its trails and ski slopes.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Not everything plays out like the movies

Expectations of college are high for everyone going in. More often than not the expectations versus reality are very different. That was the case for me. I pictured myself a month in with my best friends for life, plenty of things to do, a place to go after classes aside from my dorm room — a sense of belonging.

That isn’t what happened.

Although I have that now, freshman me did not. I made some close friends, but I didn’t feel I fit into a big fun friend group. There wasn’t a lot holding me to Bloomsburg. I wasn’t quite set in my major. I was eight hours away from my family. I didn’t feel I had a place in this town.

I spent the majority of my first year of college with my best friend, Amanda. Who to this day I’m ending senior year with by my side. Amanda and I met by chance that first weekend at “football palooza."

My first impression of Amanda was that she was so straight forward about everything she was talking about and I always thought it was funny because I was so shy. Because of the way Amanda was, she really brought me out of my shell to become a person who didn’t always care what everyone thought. We had very different personalities that happened to match together well.

From then on we remained close, and I have to say if I didn’t have her as a constant go-to I don’t know if I would be attending BU anymore. She was different than anyone I met because we both were in a place where we weren’t sure if BU was for us. So we leaned on each other a lot because we didn’t have a big friend group.

Amanda would bring me home with her to New York when everyone was leaving, because I wasn’t making the trek eight hours home. I bonded with her family and friends, and I got to explore NYC. We spent on spring break together visiting her family in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Amanda became my family away from home, and I’ll always be thankful for her in my life.

So, I stuck around and found myself.

I became more confident in who I was. In high school I overthought everything I did from what I wore to how I spoke. Since then I’ve grown to not second guess myself because it doesn’t matter who thinks what. That part of me grew in freshman year and since then has continued to bloom.

I realized not everything plays out like the movies or what you’ve planned in your head, and sometimes it can turn out even better. I learned it was okay for life to not be perfect. I’m thankful I didn’t give up on Bloomsburg when I hadn’t quite found the happiness here yet — because if I didn’t have everything and everyone I have now, I can’t imagine where I'd be.

— Drew Hess, a senior communication studies major and emergent media minor, is interning with the Office of Marketing and Communications. She is a native of Stowe, Vt., a town of 4,472 people in northern Vermont known for its trails and ski slopes.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

I say the Bloom Us, because it's a different us

Well, here we are. I waited until the end to write my goodbye to you, because I knew it would be the hardest.

It wasn’t the dorms that brought us together, or a class, or a club; it was solely because we were meant to be best friends. I've never met someone so much like me, yet so different.

I love the way I can smirk at you, and you know exactly what I’m thinking. Sometimes our telepathy scares me. We basically have our own language, because no one understands us when we talk. I never am not laughing with you. Usually laugh at ourselves and the unfortunate events in our lives but at least I know I have someone to laugh with me.

Though we have spent every waking minute together, you would think we would get sick of each other, but we never have. Guess that’s when you know when you’ve become best friends.

I’m going to miss you the most. Not like missing you because I'll never see you or talk to you again, but I'm going to miss this. Here ... us, the Bloom Us.

I say the Bloom Us, because it's a different us. The Bloom Us is by each other's side everyday. We’re together so much. We know our schedules. After graduation we won’t be able to walk four houses down to each other. Clearly, leaving this place our relationship won’t change, but the Bloomsburg relationship is coming to an end. That’s what I'm sad to say goodbye to.

Closing this chapter has made me realize the special place this place has in my heart. I know this is the place where we had the most cherished memories together. It's where we grew together and became best friends.

We grew in so many ways. We matured. We shared hardships. I’m glad we did. Through it all we now can recognize what's real.

Though throughout these four years we had different paths, we still had the same intersection. I promise that wont change. Not only did we grow together, but we found our people together. Our crew. Thank you to my Bloomsburg Crew, for the best four years I could have asked for.

Haley, Jul, Amy, Taylor Brooke, and Rachel: People like you guys have changed my outlook on life when I found you all as my people. I never had such good vibes. Not many can say we had an entire group of people who stuck with each other for the whole four years.

These laughs will forever stay the same. Just now, there will be a little more distance in between them.

— Annie Pitts, senior communication studies major #AGreatPlaceToBeYou #HuskyLife