A Roommate Connection

By Macy Brown
Muhlenberg South High School

On June 15, I left the small town of Greenville to attend the five-week long Governor’s Scholars Program in Louisville. Thoughts were racing through my head on the two-hour drive to Bellarmine University, where I would soon find myself living in a dorm room with a complete stranger.
My greatest fear was that I would not like my roommate. What was there not to worry about? What if she made me clean my room? What if she didn’t want me to talk on the phone? What if she wanted to practice playing an instrument all night long?
We arrived on campus and began to carry my luggage up to the dorm. I saw the name Rachel Amburgey written by mine on the door. She had beaten me to the room. Her family was helping her unpack. There was a prom picture sitting on her desk, and I assumed the guy was her boyfriend. I realized she would want to talk on the phone too. I was most reassured when she unpacked a softball glove and not an instrument.
The very first night we realized just how much we had in common. We were both talking about the day we received our acceptance letters from the GSP and how we felt. Most people would say that they were overjoyed, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. But not us. We both thought that it was great we got accepted but I’m not sure either of us really wanted to come. My thoughts on the situation were: Why would anyone want to leave their family and friends for five weeks? What if everyone there is smarter than me? Can I just say I got accepted, is that not good enough? Rachel’s thoughts turned out to be very similar.
The scholarship opportunities that would become available to us upon completion of the program were probably the most important factor in our decision to come. Now I feel that if I had not come, it would have been the biggest mistake of my life. My experience at Governor’s Scholars has been amazing. I have learned a lot academically and personally. I have gained a new confidence in my ability to be independent when I’m away from home and to handle strange situations in strange places. And I have made tons of new friends and memories.
It’s interesting that you can learn so much from a program that doesn’t grade your work. At the Governor’s Scholars program, community seems to be as important as academics. At the GSP, strangers become friends. That is definitely the story for Rachel and me.
At 11 o’clock every night we are told to be in our room, doors shut. However, that doesn’t mean it’s time to go to bed. My roommate and I have never gone to bed before midnight. We talk to each other, talk on the phone, tend to eavesdrop on each other’s conversations, and snack a lot.
This is the last week of GSP and I’m beginning to realize how hard it’s going to be for me to leave. Rachel is from Ashland. Ashland is almost 300 miles from Greenville; that makes seeing each other after the program difficult. However, we already have possible dates and places we could see each other again.
Rachel and I have become very close over the summer and although we are sad to leave we both know we will keep in touch, and it’s not like we won’t ever see each other again. There is a possibility that we may attend the same college. It would be amazing if my roommate for a summer could turn in to my roommate for a semester.