811 Sylvan is potentially the shittiest house in Ann Arbor. The garage looks like it could collapse on itself at any given moment. The first floor bathroom had a massive leak in the bathtub, and it took the maintenance team 7 months to finish renovating it. Last week, the washing machine almost caused a house fire.
This is my home!
I live with four other roommates: Aleezah, Ava, Kayla, and Emily. These women have made this place feel like a mansion. It’s been said that the people make the place, and this is no exception. Spending my senior year of college living with 4 other girls has guided me to create my definition of what makes a home.
Aleezah and I met on my first day of freshman year of college. Her dorm room was diagonal from mine, and she had a TV which made it the room our group would always hang out in. Since living together, she has shown me Noah Kahan’s music and how to parallel park, both of which have completely changed my life. Aleezah is gentle with me. She asks me how I am doing and isn’t afraid if the answer could be terrible. She reminds me of my strength and to look at how far we have both come since the start of college. She has the most perfect smile. We have been a part of the other’s most embarrassing moments and have kept them between us for years. Every once in a while, we’ll turn to each other and start with “remember that time when” and never finish because we are interrupted by our own laughter. Aleezah and her boyfriend remind me that love in this generation does exist and give me hope. We share hair products and our struggle as the younger sisters.
Ava and I met on the field of the Big House after the Ohio State game sophomore year. She was class friends with Aleezah and we recognized her from the few times we had both been at her apartment. After the game, we ordered Domino’s together and took a 5 hour nap on the floor of her apartment. Our friendship started out of pure luck, but has been sustained through our strong understandings of one another. We both love Lana del Rey, "Sex and the City," and the meme of the gay little monkey boy at the Apple Store. She understands my humor better than anyone at school. It’s one thing to have someone laugh at your jokes, but it’s another to have them add to it: Ava adds. We love to create bits with each other and steal each other’s jokes. I can always rely on her for a laugh and fresh parmesan cheese. Once you’re in Ava’s circle, she will defend you through your rights and your wrongs (but gives gentle correction after the matter). She’s the friend that gives your ex-boyfriend a glare from across the bar that makes him so nervous that he spends the rest of the night hiding from you. She is the life of every party and makes the most boring event a 10/10.
I don’t actually know how I met Kayla and neither does she. What I do remember is having a friend crush on her. We had a few mutual friends in the beginning of college, and I had always heard the nicest things about and thought “damn, I have to meet this girl!” Through living together, we have been able to get to know each other better and bond on a deeper level. Kayla and I always end up in spontaneous, long winded conversations that I have deemed “girly chats” that are a space for us to talk about our views on school, family, friends, and life without judgement. I feel safe talking to her. I don’t have to sugarcoat things or make things seem better than they really are. She lets me show up just as I am. Kayla is kind. I use this word to describe people very rarely as I typically think people confuse niceness with kindness. Kayla is kind. She has a heart and shoe closet of gold. (Thank God we are the same size!) She helps me with my interview skills and ability to find the good in others.
Emily and I were freshman year roommates. After my original roommates bailed on me to get housing in South Quad through the honors program, I was stuck trying to find a new roommate 5 days before the housing contract was due. As I panic scrolled through the UMich Class of 2024 Facebook page, I landed on her post explaining that she liked Rex Orange County and she knew how to sew: two things we had in common. We talked on Snapchat for a few days, Facetimed, and signed up. With her being from Miami and I from Chicago, our first meeting would be at move-in. I was petrified that she was actually a serial killer. It turns out getting roommate dumped was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. Emily and I have spent every year of college living together. We have been there for each for the lowest of lows (hangovers, failed exams, and situationships) and the highest of highs (football wins, nights that turn into mornings, and job offers). I couldn’t imagine my college career without her and luckily I’ll never have to. We have never gotten into a fight. Read that again. We have lived together for four consecutive years and have NEVER gotten into a fight. I think our secret enlies in our honesty with each other. I have always felt comfortable saying and asking for what I needed and her the same. When I’m having a tough time, she makes me tikka masala and lets me rant. When she’s having a bad day, I bring her a chai tea latte and give her space. Having this deep understanding of someone comes once in a lifetime and I got it at age 18. It’s us forever.
Though my relationship with all of my roommates look different from one another, all of them have shaped me into the student, leader, friend, and woman that I am today. They have made 811 Sylvan a space where I can be my most authentic self. They accept me for who I am and push me to be even better. They show up for me. They sat and cried with me in the living room as I shared the news of my mom’s worsening condition. They cheered and jumped up and down with me as I shared the news of landing my dream job. We watch "The Bachelor" together on Tuesdays, get ready to go out together on Thursdays, and make brunch together on Sundays. While imagining the time that we will inevitably not all live together is painful, I am blessed to have spent the end of my collegiate career with these women. They are succeeding in incredible ways in their respective academic fields. They are multi-faceted, courageous, motivated, and compassionate. They inspire me to want to be better. Though we will soon be separated by miles instead of feet, I know that our bond will withstand any distance.