Amy Mullan: I'm so glad to have a friend like you
Current student, Amy Mullan, shares her story of the true friendship that she made at UU, and the importance of friends in you life.
On my first day...
On my first day, all law students were told to go to a suite in order to begin our class orientation, a suite I had no idea of how to get to and me being the awkward git I was at the time, was absolutely not going to ask a member of staff for help. I then noticed a girl who had an equally confused look on her face and the uncertainty that screamed ‘1st year student’, so I thought “yep its safe”, I’m going to ask her if she knows where I need to go. It turned out she did not; but she also needed to get to the same place, as she was on the same course as myself. So we began to find the room together.
As time goes on...
Time passes, and the girl I met that first day became a close friend, a best friend. I don’t think I have laughed as much in my life, as I did with Rebecca. We’d meet each other before lectures and seminars, nip to the spar to stock up on lecture supplies (normally in the form of chocolate), go on friendship dates, study together, all the while taking the absolute mick out of each other. We always laughed, even if personal lives were unravelling, deadlines looming and uncertainty encroaching. She was the constant and I counted on her.
We’re still laughing...
I think it’s no secret that part of the University experience is meeting new people and living in the newfound freedom and adventure that Uni can bring. But I don’t think there’s enough emphasis placed upon how much you grow as a person in three years, or much less how you grow with people, the friends you’ve come to love, to learn alongside. This past year, we’ve all lost freedoms which, perhaps we once took for granted. Even if it was just a cup of coffee, a night out unmasked, or meeting up for a seminar. I’ve not seen Rebecca in a year, but she’s still been there. I'm lucky enough for her to still be here with me, talking every day, and we’re still laughing. With the struggles and loss this past year has brought, highlights just how much we depend on the people around us; how much it matters to take the time to make someone laugh, or tell them you love them and are there for them.