“Do you remember when…” has been a constant phrase invoked among my friends and me this past week. Gathered together in a crouched Grog booth, we reminisced on Spit dinners, Ancients class and our favorite campus characters.
Though it was a while ago, I can remember exactly what my freshman year dorm looked like. The cinder block walls, crowded with posters of Lorde and Taylor Swift. The distinct scent of the K-cups from my Keurig (before I became a devoted Holy Grounds convert). The letter from my parents that sat atop my desk, a reminder that home is just a call away. I remember how it felt getting lost on my way to Driscoll for my first class of the year, the time I slept through my 8:30 a.m. advising class and the first time I felt homesick. But with that, I also remember the first time I called Villanova “home,” and how that soon became a habit.
With Spring Break just around the corner, this past week has been full of sentimental remembrances among myself and others, begging the question: “What is your favorite memory from freshman year?”
The first few weeks of college are momentous. Students are exposed to a whole new world of people, and while finding their footing, make lifelong friends. Senior Brooke Bossé looked back to how she bonded with her hallmates at the beginning of her first semester.
“Early into the school year there was a CAT event where they had roller skating in the Tolentine parking lot and food trucks,” Bossé said. “I went with my roommate, and we ran into two other girls on our floor who we didn’t really know, but we shared a lot of laughs as we tried to figure out how to roller skate together. Afterwards, we waited an hour in line for the crepe food truck and walked back to South Campus together. Doing those silly activities with girls I didn’t really know was a great bonding experience and made Villanova feel like home for the first time.”
Sometimes the greatest memories are made on a spontaneous whim. Such is the case for senior Brian Fitzsimmons, who remembers the first snowfall at Villanova, and the memories he made with Club Rugby, of which he is now a senior member.
“My favorite memory was the first snow storm at Villanova and playing rugby on Pike,” Fitzsimmons said. “It was a very spontaneous decision where 20 of us got up early and just enjoyed the day without class. At that moment I wasn’t worried about the homework I had or anything else, I was just focused on the moment.”
Similarly, senior Alice Korolev also reflects back on the shared moments brought about by the winter storm.
“The snowball fight on South Campus is definitely my favorite memory,” Korolev said. “We got to see everyone on South that we know, and it felt like it really brought the community together. Especially when you don’t know that many people, it’s the little things that bring people together that feel the most special.”
Back in the glory days of Jay Wright, current seniors experienced an unforgettable basketball season their first year at Villanova. Senior AnNa Hughes reminisced about March Madness and the final moments leading up to her attendance at the Final Four in New Orleans.
“When Villanova went to the Elite Eight, we all watched it in the lounge together in Stanford Hall, and that was really exciting,” Hughes said. “After the win, we all ran to the Oreo and I got fried Oreos from the food trucks. We were on top of the world.”
Hughes’ friend, senior Meghan Buri, shared the same enthusiasm for that notorious basketball season. Hughes and Buri traveled together to New Orleans to watch the Final Four, which was one of Buri’s favorite freshman memories.
“Even though we didn’t win the game, it was truly a once in a lifetime experience,” Buri said. “It was so special to visit with my extended family and to explore New Orleans with two of my best friends.”
Whether it be a spontaneous snowball fight or a trip to NOLA, these stories exude the fact that it’s the people who make the place. Seniors, grab your friends and re-hash every memory you’ve had. Look deep into the archives of your Snapchat memories, your group texts, your camera roll. Revive the moments that you’ve forgotten, and remember what it felt like to be a freshman: so new, so uncomfortable. You’ve made it so far, and now, it’s the perfect time for the bittersweet debrief.
