i'll be there for you.

We go to college to learn, to better ourselves, to meet new people, to grow up and learn to stand on our own two feet.

My first semester at Cal was about assimilating to Berkeley, learning to live on my own and take care of myself. I was trying to figure out the pace of this school, and trying to figure out what I wanted out of my time here. And really, just trying to take the time away from home to find myself. I grew up a lot during fall, but something was missing.

This semester, I found what the fall was lacking--amazing friends. People I could call at two in the morning if I needed something, people who could understand what I was thinking just by looking at me. Friends who could finish my sentences and who would stand up for me if I ever needed. I had friends my first semester, but not like the ones I have now. The four people in the photos above--Katie, Johnny, Sam, and Morgan--they're four people who I can say with full certainty have changed my life, and I just wanted to put it out in the universe that these are four of the most wonderful, amazing, creative, kind individuals I've ever had the honor to meet. Katie and Johnny are CalTV folk, and I met Morgan and Sam on Birthright. Two of the most significant parts of my Berkeley experience, and I have come out of them so much better because of the people I met through them. They have been the best friends I could have ever asked for, and they became my family away from home. From drinking boba to cafe hopping, to exploring Berkeley's finest eateries, most of my best memories in Berkeley have come from having these friends this semester. Honestly, it's hard to remember what Cal was like before having all of these crazy kids in my life...but I can say that life at Berkeley would definitely not be as amazing without them.