What a crazy journey it's been

Toward the end of my senior year of high school when I was thinking about college, I told myself this was an opportunity to reinvent myself in a way. Not that I wanted to change who I was entirely, but I saw it as an opportunity to improve some things I maybe didn’t like as much. In high school I didn’t like how closed off I was. I often wouldn’t give people the benefit of the doubt and that would lead to me not making friends easily.

This is something I was determined to turn around. Every new chapter in your life brings changes and I was determined for this change to be a positive one. The main thing I wanted to do differently was be more outgoing and make new friends. I left high school with only two friends, and I always regretted I didn’t make more of an effort to make more friends. I saw college as a start of a new chapter and an opportunity to put myself out there, but COVID had a different idea.

My freshman year in 2020, I moved into Columbia Hall and was trying my hardest to make connections with the other girls in my hall or people I had met through the Facebook page. All of this was going well until our in-person classes had to be moved online because the COVID cases in our area got too high. Because the classes got moved online, Bloomsburg was offering refunds on our room and board, which meant most people moved back home. I tried to stick it out as long as I could. I stayed for about a month and wanted to stay longer, but once I realized lots of people were leaving, I also went home. This really put a damper on my plans to reinvent myself and try better to make friends in college.

Although this sort of derailed my plans, I didn’t let it stop me from accomplishing my goal. I spent my sophomore year really trying to continue any relationships I formed in that short time I was on campus my freshman year and trying to form new friendships. I decided to move back to Bloom and get an apartment with my boyfriend Dylan. I didn’t have anyone I could get a dorm room with plus I thought it would be fun to live with my boyfriend. Moving back to Bloom after being home for most of my freshman year was kind of like I was moving to Bloom for the first time again. This was in a way my freshman year because I hadn’t fully experienced what it was like to be at college. Through this whole experience I really taught myself perseverance and to trust the process. Although the beginning of my college journey didn’t go the way I planned it still all ended up working out the way it was meant to.

In the past, I would have let these challenges stop me from trying again. This is why I struggled so much with building friendships in high school. I also felt since you go to school with the same people since elementary school, most friendships were already established. I found it hard for me to put myself out there because of my fear of rejection. If I had faced one issue or one roadblock, I would have completely jumped ship. 

But this experience was so important to me, and I really didn’t want to look back on college and think I should have done things differently. I forced myself to face my fears because I knew it would benefit me in the long run. I have seen myself mature and learn so many useful lessons through my four years. I understand the importance of good loyal friends who are always in your corner. If it weren't for my friends and my boyfriend I wouldn’t have been as successful through college as I was.

I also learned the importance of trusting your instincts. Not just in school, but also in life. Since I took a risk of putting myself out there and being vulnerable with strangers and it actually worked, it showed me I need to believe in myself. I would have never found my best friend Morgan if it weren’t for me going into college with this mindset. The college journey truly prepares you for your transition to adulthood. I felt like I was so underprepared when I entered college, but now I am a much more mature and prepared person who’s ready to enter the workforce. With that comes many decisions. I feel so confident in the degree I will be graduating with, the friends I have gained along the way, and the experiences I have. I will be graduating in May with a degree in communication studies, a focus in organizational communication, and a minor in psychology. 

The professors in the communication department are truly the best. They know their stuff and they are so encouraging and will help their students success in any way possible. I know because of them I truly am prepared to graduate. With all these tools I’m trusting I will be able to have a successful career. Although my path from here on out might be a little unknown I now have the skills to handle that better. 

If I face a bump in the road, I'm better equipped to handle it and trust everything happens for a reason. The support system I've built through this crazy journey will carry me through any hardships I might face. For now, I must embrace the scarries and see what the world has to offer me post-grad.

— 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, the Philadelphia 76ers, and the show Survivor.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

No sweating the missed exits

So, senior year… what a bundled mess of stress.

Nothing really goes as planned, ever. Who was going to tell me how many curve balls this world was going to throw me?

Going through heartbreak is one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through. And I've (almost) been through college. Crazy to say I only have one more semester to go. Nothing has ever been this challenging for me emotionally.

So, what did I do about it? Cry. A lot. I’m human, I can’t help it.

Thank goodness for the friendships I built throughout college. My two closest friends are now my roommates. They bring so much support, joy, and warmth into my life.

Who else brings me happiness? My lovely dad.

He has always been there for me. We are like two peas in a pod. Or we would say, “like coffee and creamer.” (we don’t actually say that – I just know he would agree with that comparison and think it represented us).

This boyfriend of mine was a major part of my life, and it was hard getting back on track after he was gone. So, I turned to my roommates, my friends, my brother, and ultimately my dad. He knew exactly what I was going through and knew just how to help.

It felt like I had so much more free time to myself! It was great. Or so it seemed up until I got bored. I turned to journaling to write down my feelings. Pencil to paper is so healing. I feel like I wrote more this week than in my communication courses.

I turned to music in my free time. Blasting Taylor Swift in the shower is a must. Turning up to Olivia Rodrigo in my car rides to work is unmatched. Don’t Blame Me, 22, Bejeweled, I Did Something Bad. Logical, vampire, favorite rime, happier, and 1 step forward, 3 steps back.

Looking back, maybe it was necessary to take time for myself. To really focus on my academics, my friendships, and my family. Suddenly, I had time to hang out with the closest people in my life! The best part of the work-life balance in my opinion.

Recently, my dad visited me to have a father-daughter day! We drove to lunch first then to Selinsgrove after. But, this was no regular trip.

Remember when I said that things don't typically go as planned? Well, that fully applies for this outing. We were on the road for longer than expected. Why? We missed an exit! We got so invested in our conversation that we lost track of the signs on the road and drove right by our exit. I’m taking this as a positive. To get so distracted by a quality conversation with your favorite person is such a blessing.

This 30-minute drive to lunch quickly turned into a 2-hour drive for lunch! And it was to a BBQ joint on top of a mountain overlooking the river called Skeeters. What a great, picturesque view, accompanied by even better food! What an experience this was. But, let me tell you, the destination was so worth it. Worth the time and distress. Because there’s something great waiting at the end.

This stage of my life is definitely the car ride on the highway with multiple missed exits. It feels like nothing is going as planned. I’m sure I’ll get to my BBQ joint soon. It will be okay.

— Kathryn Henriksen, 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 fall. She is a native of Pottstown who loves Andy Grammer, Nutella, and all 10 seasons of Friends.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Life is best with balance

School can be a lot at times. I know, who can’t relate?

Not sure why it took me three years and six semesters to realize that college is way more than just going to classes. It’s important to invest yourself into the campus culture. You know as they say … get involved, put yourself out there, meet people.

By the end of last year, I found myself active in three clubs. Something almost impossible for me to make time for in high school with my 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule. Then my day ended with field hockey practice and games after school. It felt like I only had time for homework afterwards.

I figured college would be different. But this different?

I love how college offers so much diversity, allowing you to pick up new interests, join clubs, and build friendships. However, this can all end up being a lot by your senior year. Somehow, year after year my classes and extracurriculars added up to be a little too much for me to handle. After a day on campus, I would barely have time to talk to my roommates.

Even as a senior in college, I can’t seem to get this down. I thought I could handle all of the clubs and classes alongside my internship and job. Some people — like my boyfriend, Ben — can function off three hours of sleep.

But for me, I NEED the eight hours.

I knew some changes needed to be made as I got to the second week of classes. I got a calendar to write down my day-to-day schedule. I made it a priority to schedule time for rest. College is a time for discovering yourself and that comes with realizing what’s best for you. For me, I was overwhelmed and wrote down my classes and club meetings on my lovely TJ Maxx calendar, which I use every day.

I now have time for quality time with my roommates, Sophie and Annie. Baking cookies in my apartment with my two favorite girls is an essential part to my time here at Bloomsburg. I tend to think I can do it all, but I know I’m not a superhero. Humans have limits. And, crazy enough, we are human. It’s necessary to have a social life and time to yourself!

Have fun while you can and make the most out of these four years with your roommates. These are the times you’ll remember. We spent time on the little couch in our living watching horror movies anxiously stuffing Pop-secret popcorn into our mouths are the nights. As someone that’s terrified of gory horror movies, watching the Chainsaw Massacre absolutely traumatized me.

All three of us would congregate in the living room and kitchen area catching up on our days like we haven’t seen each other in years. A core memory of college. Enjoying family dinner as we all cook our own little meals together on Mondays. This recent week featured two versions of stir-fry and homemade tacos that lasted us all week!

Sophie, Annie, and I realized that a great hack to being a college student on a low budget is cooking meals on Monday and eating them throughout the week! We love to meal prep and act like adults in our little kitchen. Doing this together on Mondays is a new tradition of ours we look forward to. It gets us pumped for the week as we encourage each other.

Make intentional time for yourself. You might not think you need it, but college is also a time of self-discovery. Some self-reflection is important to find your true self. I value my time in college for allowing me to experience self-discovery. When I reflect, I consider how I feel in the morning, before my class, after an exam, and at night when the day is complete. When the emotions reveal themselves, I better understand my needs. Journaling with my precious BIC pencil in my little pink notebook helps to ground myself in the mornings. De-compressing on my dark brown couch after a long day of classes at 4:30 p.m. calms me down.

Putting on my favorite TV series, FRIENDS and mindlessly scrolling through TikTok allows me to escape but also laugh hysterically. FRIENDS has always been there for me. It’s literally in their intro song, “I’ll be there for you.” They do not fail. They make me laugh when I’m already happy, cheer me up when I’m down, and comfort me no matter what. At this point, it is background noise as I do my homework or scroll through Instagram and TikTok. My recent obsession on TikTok is funny videos like the @sturnoliotriplets late at night.

Times like this allow me to enjoy life’s purest moments. It brings me joy and peace during overwhelming times. I’m having fun while having time for myself. I can perform better in my studies, hangout with friends in my free-time, exercise at the rec center, and chat with friends on my way to class. It may seem like a lot all at once to try and balance everything.

Annie always says to just do “one thing at a time.”

Life is best with balance. I would see my roommates sitting on the couch with their stir fry and realize I might be too busy if I don’t have intentional time to eat and chat. My senior year is supposed to be fun and more relaxed. I am going to make that happen. My last year at Bloomsburg is looking like the best yet!

The next chapter comes sooner than you know it! I didn't believe them when they said that time flies in college. But now that I’m a senior, there’s no truer statement.

— Kathryn Henriksen, 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 fall. She is a native of Pottstown who loves Andy Grammer, Nutella, and all 10 seasons of Friends.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Not according to plan but that's okay

 

It’s the first week of my senior year, and I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Which, is great for me because I am a planner. Things are looking up but that was not always the case. It’s certainly not how I planned it.

Nothing ever felt right. Not even when I was so accomplished in high school, graduating with honors. Nothing was ever enough. I’ve always battled with perfectionism. I’ve always wanted to be so successful after college. To make my parents proud of me. It was almost a competition I created for myself with my twin brother, Brandon. I had to be better. With sports, grades, helping around the house… the list goes on.

I was not enjoying life as I should be. I put off hanging out with friends on the weekends to just do 5% better on an exam the next day. I was the student who prioritized academics over anything else. Even myself. I lost myself in the jumbled mess that was my life.

I would be so consumed with perfecting essays to the last comma, memorizing vocabulary until I could recite it, and spending hours studying alone in my bedroom, avoiding any social contact. Why, you ask? I couldn’t afford any distractions. At least, that’s what I told myself.

But now, as I embark on my final year of college, I have the great feeling things are finally starting to come together. And those distractions? That’s the fun to life. That’s what made me grow.

Go hang out with those friends until midnight and laugh so hard you cry. Go to that movie you’ve been dying to see since the previews came out. Go take that road trip to Crumbl Cookies 30 minutes away on a school night. Go join that social club even if you’re scared of meeting new people. Go visit your sibling two hours away at college just because.

Go, go, go!

These experiences can end up being the best experiences of your life. Cliché I know but, seriously. I found the bestest friends in these clubs like Cru and NCASC that will last a lifetime.

And that random college visit I took to see Brandon for a weekend? Instantaneously, without a doubt, it changed my life in the best way possible.

How could that be?

Well, I met the love of my life there. I’d marry him with paper rings if you know what I mean. I would’ve never gotten here if I said, “Oh, maybe later” or “Now’s not a good time.” Instead, I said, “Why not!” and drove up there the next day.

I wanted to be as transparent as possible when in public places to avoid any sort of attention or embarrassment. But, Ben, my boyfriend, wasn’t having that. He knew how I felt about it. So, what did he do? He meowed as loud as he could inside of Weis Markets, Target, or Wal-Mart. As crazy as this sounds, it did indeed help me feel more comfortable in public settings.

I started becoming more comfortable giving speeches. And that’s coming from someone who has an apprehension about public speaking. On my 21st birthday, I wore a birthday sash out to dinner. My parents were baffled and surprised. But, hey, I got a free dessert out of it. Candles and everything.

This special boy helped to bring me out of my shell that once protected me. Now, I have a big strong boy for that. Just kidding. I can do it myself, at least I think I can. 

You see, that's the continuous cycle that is my life. I think I can do it all by myself but, there are actually limits to what we can do.

Insane, right?

Right. Because, first of all, I would not be in the spot that I am in right now without the great amount of support I have received from my aunt, brother, boyfriend, and my parents.

It was not me accomplishing everything all on my own without any help. It was leaning on people when I needed a good cry. It was not the hours I spent alone in my room studying. It was pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.

It was discovering myself and finding happiness in it.

Success to me is not being at the top of your class or the president of your club. It's finding true contentment and balance in life. Not everything follows your carefully crafted plan but that's how you grow. I grew. That’s how I know. In fact, I’m still growing. I have another year ahead of me!

— Kathryn Henriksen, 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 fall. She is a native of Pottstown who loves Andy Grammer, Nutella, and all 10 seasons of Friends.

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Appreciating the world around me more

When I was young I always wished to be older. I'd daydream about what my life had in store and try to plan out each step along the way. When I came to Bloomsburg University, I thought I had it all figured out. I was going to be involved on campus, live a normal college life, and go onto graduate alongside my BU family — or that’s what I thought.

While I partially checked some things off of my bucket list — that is, joined a sorority, landed an internship and experienced a mostly normal college life — some things got a little scrambled when the pandemic hit last spring, and we were sent packing our bags. Almost a year later we're still navigating unprecedented times. And we seniors, much like the Class of 2020, faced with uncertainty over how our graduation will be celebrated. 

A lot has changed in the past year. It's been extremely challenging to navigate what life as a college student might look like. Snow days are obsolete, and it’s hard to say when we can gather in groups of friends and peers again. I always imagined my senior year would be filled with tons of excitement, and while that’s true, it’s been very different amidst the pandemic. Snow days have turned into lounge-like kickbacks with roommates and charcuterie boards, and most of our social lives are quarantined to a select few.

All of my plans went out the window when life became virtual. For a while, I felt as though I was just treading water — unable to see those important to me and having to adjust to online classrooms. It wasn’t until this semester — my last semester — that I’ve come to the realization life isn’t about planning. It’s about cherishing your moments and being able to adjust in real time. It’s about being challenged and pushing back harder than you were hit.

Virtual life really pushed me to my limits both socially and academically, and frankly, now I feel like I’m better equipped online and am prepared for going out into the world of remote work. On top of that, I feel as though I appreciate the world around me more, and I’ve learned to savor every moment here because we truly never know when our world can be turned upside down. Even just looking around the town itself, I’ve come to have more appreciation to be at the heart of Bloomsburg. I breathe in the moments with friends and loved ones — thankful for each second I have. 

With these lessons in mind, I’ve come ready to start my final semester determined to make the best of what I can. No more wishing my life away — it’s time to live it.

— Caprice Gillick, a senior communication studies major with an emphasis on leadership and public advocacy, is interning with the Office of Marketing and Communications this spring. She is a native of York County and a member of the Sigma Sigma Sigma sorority.

#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

Live your last like it’s your first

As I wrap up my fall semester of senior year, I’ve realized it slowly hitting me that I’m actually going to be graduating next semester. I never thought my turn to graduate would come so fast. When I came here as freshman, the orientation workshop leaders said time would fly by in the blink of an eye, but I always shrugged it off. Almost four years later flashed by before my eyes and now I definitely see what they meant.

I remember my first semester at Bloom like it was yesterday. A completely new environment, new people, and a chance to become a new me. Bloomsburg University became my home away from home. Something I thought another place could never be.

Every year I’ve come back, it’s just as exciting and nerve-wracking as the one before. The feeling of anticipation for what fun the new semester will bring. New opportunities, fresh starts, and new memories with old friends.

Reflecting on my college career, I’m glad Bloomsburg University gave me the chance to grow as a person. My first semester here, I was a shy 18-year-old that only went to class. Now, I’m so much more involved on campus in organizations such as BUNow as a social media editor, I’m member of the International English Honors Society Sigma Tau Delta, and the vice president of my sorority, Chi Sigma Rho. If I hadn’t chose to go to Bloom, I don’t think I would have learned what I have and met the people that I did to help me become the confident and involved person I am today.

The classes I’ve taken and professors I’ve had have given me important knowledge that I know will be crucial to be successful in my future. This university has definitely prepared me for the “real world” and I feel confident I’m prepared to handle whatever comes my way after I graduate.

My time here has allowed me to not only gain lifelong skills like time management, leadership, independence, and effective communication, but friends that I’ll cherish for a lifetime.

Our college years are some of the most difficult times of our lives. Most of us are off on our own for the first time, living in a new area, and having to make new relationships with all kinds of different people. Not to mention the different and overwhelming stressors that we all can experience during these years.

I’ve been able to go through the hard times of college with the friends I’ve made. Whether it be getting a bad grade, or just having a rough day, I’ve always had someone to lean on or ask for support.

As I go into my last semester of my undergraduate college career ever, I want to live it up as if it’s my first. Any chance I get, I want to make sure I’m living the moment to the fullest. Every new opportunity that comes my way I’m going to make sure I experience it. Any campus events I’m able to go to like Free Food Friday, bingo or trivia at the KUB, I’ll be there. I want to spend as much time as I can on campus just taking in the time I have here, while I still have it.

Most seniors take easy classes their last semester, but I want to take advantage of the last bit of time I have as an undergraduate student and continue to learn as much as I can in as many different areas as I can. I’m even going to make sure I utilize all of the resources Bloom offers as much as I can like attending more Professional U workshops, and even applying to present in the Husky Student Leadership Summit.

Years from now, when I look back on my college years, I want to have no regrets and no missed opportunities I wish I took. My time at Bloomsburg University will be a piece of my life that I’ll always be proud of myself for.

When I walk across that stage at the end of next semester, I will be grateful for the memories I’ve made while a student here. Bloomsburg University will always be a part of me, and I know I’ll always be a part of Bloomsburg.

Once a Husky, always a Husky!

— Samantha Bergan, senior mass communications major and English minor

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife

Miscommunication and roommates … a bad mix

Communication. It’s an easy concept, but not everyone does it right.

Communicating effectively with people is a difficult thing to do, yet we do it everyday. I learned this my sophomore year through the mistakes I made. As a senior now, I'm still learning more about it; which is to be honest and open about what I want to say. To build and maintain relationships, it’s important to know how to communicate with people.

Sophomore year, my two roommates and I moved into our first apartment together. We all were so excited. The idea of having our own place with no rules to follow seemed like a dream. We couldn't wait to get out of our shared dorms and finally have a whole apartment right across from campus to ourselves with our own rooms, big kitchen and living room, and most importantly, our very own bathroom.

Over the summer, we constantly talked about what cute decorations we were bringing all the way from painted canvases to stylish throw pillows. We shared dinner ideas we were planning on making like cajun chicken Alfredo pasta, movies we wanted to watch for movie nights, mainly comedy of course, and many other fun activities we wanted to do all year.

A few weeks into the semester is when things started to get weird. One of my roommates and I noticed our food was slowly disappearing, and both of us weren’t eating each other’s food or even our own.

We soon realized it was our other roommate. My roommate and I were annoyed, because we were sharing but she had no snacks or anything in the pantry, so we just assumed she wasn't sharing, but she was still eating our food. To avoid having the awkward conversation of asking her to stop eating our food, we decided to go food shopping and just have her pay her half if she wanted to continue to eat the groceries we got. Well, she didn’t want to pay her half, so it worked out for us that she wouldn't eat our food again since she didn't pay for it.

It was a simple fix just by communicating with her that if she didn't have food herself to share with us, it wouldn't be fair to eat ours. Instead, we had to figure out a whole plan so we would avoid that awkward conversation. I wish I would've known that communicating effectively of course can be awkward, but it can be important for getting the message across.

From this experience, I’ve grown as a person and learned to just be open and honest when communicating with others more importantly, with my friends. Living with other people besides your family is difficult, especially when it’s the first time. You never wanna be “that person” who complains about the dishes, or having to clean, or your food going missing. But when it comes down to it, the only way to solve those problems is to communicate effectively.

Sophomore year was a learning experience for me. I learned instead of being afraid of awkward conversations, to just let someone know if they’re doing something that’s not fair to me, because they might not even know they’re doing it in the first place. This creates an understanding of one another. Effective communication.

If you’re moving into an apartment next year with roommates, definitely have those awkward conversations about how you want to live together and how you’re expecting the year to go. Just so there’s a full understanding of what is expected of each other.

I wish my then roommates and I could've talked about this kind of stuff before dealing with it then and there, and ending up losing friendships because of it. Miscommunication is what ruins friendships, when it's so easy to just sit down and try to understand each other’s feelings. Looking back, I wish the situation was handled better. It set the tone for how the rest of the year was going to go since we didn’t feel comfortable or know how to communicate effectively.

Since then, I’ve been able to learn from this experience of miscommunication by being honest and understanding of other’s thoughts in an effort to prevent situations like this one in the future.

— Samantha Bergan, senior mass communications major and English minor

#BloomOnward #HuskyLife