The People Make the Place
October 9, 2024
Writer: Sarah Merwin
Editor: HY Editors
Each day, as I walk around campus, passing the open quads filled with students laughing and the picturesque buildings crowded with people studying, I am reminded how lucky I am to be here. This place is just how I imagined it to be when I regularly plugged "Tulane College campus pictures" into my search bar during class in high school. The look of this place quickly fulfilled my expectations, and I fell in love with Tulane and the people it brought me.
One year ago, I trembled at the thought of meeting all new people and starting over. Now, that fear seems insignificant, and I am constantly surrounded by people I can barely remember life without.
I've always been told college is where you find lifelong friends, but that does not make it less scary. It takes work to create concrete connections amidst the hundreds of repetitive conversations. When you are finally among your people, it’s the everyday conversations that you remember forever.
It is incredible how much people change in a single year and how much your life can change by meeting a single person.
I have now become part of the people I have met, forever carrying them with me on campus and throughout my life after graduation. My friends inspire me to be the best version of myself, and I look up to each of them. I admire my roommate's ability to empathize with people and help them no matter what. I look up to my suitemate for being so knowledgeable about the world; I admire my friend's ability to walk into any room and make people smile and laugh. In 12 short months, we have seen extreme highs and lows in each other's lives. When something exciting happens, they are the first people I turn to; they are there for my wins and to comfort me during my losses.
Tulane will always be a place that reminds me of people. What used to be a simple classroom in the library will now always be my philosophy classroom, where I met one of my favorite people, Noa. My corner dorm room in Monroe is where a revolving door of people would chat all night long, laugh until we cried, and eat hundreds of midnight snacks. The Labyrinth cafe will always be where my friend Sarah and I recap our days and our life stories after class. Or Audubon Boulevard, the spot where my roommate and I talk for hours, circling every possible scenario for upcoming events.
People say the best things about college are the freedom, the academics, and the relaxed schedule. But these are all incomparable to the importance of the people we meet along the way. Although it's cheesy and possibly overused as an Instagram caption, the people truly make the place.