Did you ever meet a group of people and know that they’re going to become your best friends?

I have.

It was the middle of July. The weather in Scranton was disgusting as usual. I got lost on my way to Marywood in my red Sunfire. I locked my keys in my car at the gas pump. I had to call a tow truck to see if he could break into my car. It was the first time that I used the whole “I’m a poor college student please forgive me for being stupid and poor” line, so he gave me $5 off of my fee. I was wearing a polyester shirt (I don’t even know why) and I had straightened my hair that day, only to have it go back to curly half way throughout the day. Awesome.

My mentality at this point was anything but positive, but I trudged up the small hill as I approached Electric Mary. I was just hoping that these four years would go differently than my high school years. I spent a majority of my time in high school not knowing where exactly my place in life was.

I sat down in my small group. They put us there according to what department we were in. I looked around me and this was what I saw: a kid with a Mohawk, two best friends from high school, a Prima Donna from the theater department, and a girl and a boy that sounded like they were from Fargo. I immediately though, “Cool. Are these the people I have to spend my four years with?”

Through that little period of getting to know each other, I slowly broke out of my shell. I felt like it was finally somewhere I could easily be myself. Little did I know that I would spend hours upon hours with these people: sometimes fighting about the way things should be done, or laughing because we know that what we’re creating is so ridiculous that someone has to find it funny. In the end, I know that I would have been completely unhappy spending the last four years with anyone but them. And I honestly have never been more grateful to have such beautiful, supportive, and creative people surrounding me.

So here’s to us, communication arts kids. This time’s for real.