Thank You For Being A Friend: N

And then there was one. I have cried so many tears and it is only Wednesday. Tomorrow I have my last final. I’m a college student for less than 24 more hours, and this is turning out to be so much harder than I thought it would be. I started off excited because I kept thinking of how cool it would be to have my diploma and to be near the ocean again. Then I realized that nothing compares to true friendship and a life here in Columbus where I call home. This is gonna be rough.

My last roommate I have to say “till we meet again” to is N. There were two things that caused me to know who N was before I even met her - her middle name and her facebook profile picture from freshman year. I had done my own little facebook stalking (a la LH), and saw that her middle name was “Dare.” I didn’t believe it was her real middle name until we met, because no one has that cool of a name. Turns out it was, and I have been obsessed with it ever since. She is in my phone as “N Dare” and when I chat about her to my family, I tell them it really is her middle name. Her middle name ended up telling me a lot about who N is as a person. I consider N to be both unique and fearless. N is our trendy roommate. She’s our artist, and the one I go to for all artistic, make-up, hair, and nail polish advice. If N wasn’t smaller and more in shape than I am, I would probably steal her clothes on a daily basis in hopes that I could pull them off. N is one of the people in my life I admire most. I watch all she does everyday, and I sit in awe. This girl had been involved in so many Ohio State organizations (the ones that are really hard to get into!), and has been a strong leader in all of them, held a job in admissions, worked her way into the Art Ed program, and will continue to get her Masters after she graduates next year. When people ask me the one thing I wish I did more of in college, my answer is always “I wish I did what my roommate N did.” When I toured OSU, my mom asked me to get involved with the Student Alumni Council. She thought they looked like such a great organization. My freshman year, I was able to tell her that I had a SAC experience – N had been accepted into their organization, and the leaders had come to her dorm room, while I was there, to congratulate her. Mom was so proud!

The thing I love most about N is that she never tries to be anyone other than herself. You may see this as a trend with my roommates, but it’s true for all of them. I’m probably the only one in the house that attempts to be more like each of them everyday. I respect N so much because of everything she does for this university. She never followed the crowd, and yet has never acted like she was above everybody else for doing meaningful work. Recently, she discussed dropping one of her extracurricular activities because she wasn’t finding it enjoyable anymore, and I told her to stick it out until she graduated. Her response was, “I don’t think I should stick with something I’m not emotionally involved in just to put it on my resume.” My respect level for her grew even higher. Everything she participates in, she does because she believes in it. She may wake up at 6 am to sit outside and greet incoming freshman, and she may clean up trash for volunteer work, but she does it because the organization and work makes her happy. I find that so admirable. More people should try to be like N.

Now I mentioned that the other thing about N that struck me was her profile picture and here’s why. The picture was of her standing with the assistant drum major of Ohio State at the time. When we moved into the dorm, I found out that this drum major was no stranger, but her boyfriend. That’s right, my roommate is dating a celebrity. So if you know me and you’re not from the Columbus area, you’ve probably heard me say, “I wish I would have been more like my roommate N, you know the one with the awesome middle name…oh did I mention she’s dating the drum major?!” So thank you N for giving me such awesome conversational topics for when I’m home during football season.

I’m really going to miss my artsy roommate. She created the most beautiful painting of the New York skyline on my graduation cap, and I will treasure it forever. She has introduced me to The Real Housewives series, the Twilight series, and Papa Boos (on Buckeye Lake). She has taught me how to use eyelash curlers and how to pose for professional photos (she’s an awesome photographer, and if I ever get married, I know who will be taking my pictures). N was in a serious car crash in September, and thank God she was okay, but I’ll never forget how scared I was when I received B’s phone call. Stuff like that doesn’t happen to those you love, and I saw the extent of my love for N when I realized I was holding her hand and didn’t want to let go…ever. That was one of the scariest moments of my life, and I realized how BLENK had become my other family. N is and will always be my sister – the sister I try to emulate – and the sister I learn so much from everyday. Thank you for teaching me so many life lessons (even though you may not have known you've done so), and for always putting me in my place. Your honesty and genuine kindness has made me a better person. Keep shining as brightly as you do N, and know that “Big Red” will be missing you from NJ. I love you N Dare!