New Friends at PSU – Exploring Friendship

Alexis Ramer

October 29, 2019 by lpm5394 Leave a Comment

The next new friend I will be highlighting is Alexis Ramer, but my friends and I usually call her Lexi. She claims to not care which name she prefers, but her real friends will call her Lexi. Lexi is another student on the third floor with me, and we all get along very well. I met her through our mutual friend, Pranavi, which I have recently written a blog post about. Lexi and Pranavi are going to be roommates together next year and they’re staying on the third floor again just like Erica (my roommate) and I.

I am very happy that I met Lexi because she is a really good person. I genuinely enjoy her presence and I always like hanging out with her. Lexi has very strong morals and values, as she comes from a strong and family-centered military family. Her father works in the air force, so Lexi has moved to a lot of different places over her life. Lexi was born in Germany and lived there for the first few years of her life. Before college, her most recent living location was Virginia. Now, Penn State is her home and her family has moved to a base in Pennsylvania.

Lexi and I have a lot of common interests and similar bad habits like our terrible procrastination. For example, the other night, I could not fall asleep, so I walked past the study room and found Lexi writing a paper at 3:30 am. I joined her and we worked on homework together. Although that night I just could not sleep, our late nights in the study room are very common.

Lexi comes from a HUGE Penn State family. Both of her parents went here and one of her sisters as well. Her mom was even proposed to at the Nittany Lion shrine.

Not only do we work together, but we get a lot of meals together and we always hang out. Since our rooms are in such proximity to each other, we have spent so much together. I am not sure if I would have been able to be as close with Lexi if it weren’t for Pranavi introducing us, so I am really glad she did.

Overall, I Lexi is a great friend that is so easy to talk to and very fun to be around. It is so important to find friends here that you can trust and talk to without having a filter. Lexi is smart and has an interesting background that I love learning more about, and I can’t wait to get to know her even more.

Jules Dominick

October 22, 2019 by lpm5394 Leave a Comment

Today, I will be talking about one of my very first friends I made here at Penn State University. Specifically, I met Jules the first day we moved in. Jules lives two doors down from me, and she is Pranavi’s roommate, the friend I just wrote about previously.

Pranavi moved in a few days later than the rest of the people on my floor, so Jules was alone in her room for the first 3 days of college or all of SHOtime. When my roommate, Erica, and I noticed that Jules did not have a roommate with her for the first few days, we made sure to make Jules feel comfortable. We would invite her into our room to hang out, and we ate a lot of our meals with her as well.

Jules and I at the SHOtime finale banquet

We both believed that Jules seemed very cool, nice, and definitely, someone that we could both become great friends with. Erica, Jules and I hung out a lot together since the start of college, and Jules is still one of our great friends. An interesting thing about Jules is that she is not only a really cool person but insanely smart too. She is a biomedical engineering major, which by the name is clearly extremely hard, and has been doing very well on her exams for this major.

Jules is a carefree kind of person and she makes everyone around her feel happy and positive. Throughout the time I have known Jules, I have never seen her make anyone feel anything less than great. She is a really good person and shows it every day. We also have a very important tradition of going to late-night dinner at Redifer dining hall whenever they have grilled cheese.

Jules has also gotten very involved on campus already. She participates in a club called EcoClub, but it is also like a job. She does a certain amount of hours per week, and she gets paid $500 a semester just for helping them. She found a good opportunity and went with it not only to benefit herself but because she is genuinely interested in helping the environment. Jules also enjoys the Schreyer for Women club, in which I am also a part of.

Overall, I am really glad that I became friends with Jules during SHOtime and I think it is awesome that she lives so close to me. Next year, Jules will be living in an apartment downtown and I will be really sad to not see her every day. She is one of my favorite people here!

Pranavi Yerramareddy

October 17, 2019 by lpm5394 2 Comments

Despite the long break from our passion blogs, I am so excited to introduce another one of the new friends I have made here at Penn State Univeristy, Pranavi Yerramareddy. Our friendship is a funny story, because we actually came from the same town, yet we did not know eachother.

At our mandatory third floor meeting during our first few days here at PSU, Pranavi came up to me and introduced herself. She knew who I was, but I had no idea who she was. She told me that she went to Centennial High School, which is about 15 minutes away from where I went to high school, River Hill High School. Pranavi explained that she had followed me on social media and we discovered that we actually had a lot of mutual friends.

Pranavi lives three doors down from me in our dorm, so we have seen a lot of eachother throughout the year so far. Now that we know how close we live to eachother, we are now able to carpool on the long car rides back to Maryland from PSU. Last weekened, I was able to go home and see my friends and family since Pranavi’s dad was bringing her back to Maryland for a family event.

Pranavi, Erica and I at the Springfield THON org art gala fundraiser!

Having Pranavi as a friend is not only really helpful and funny that we live so close to each other at home and at school, but she is so fun to be around as well. Pranavi is the kind of person who laughs so hard that everyone else laughs too. She was nicknamed “Pringles” by some of the boys on our floor and this nickname has really stuck. Even Pranavi has started calling herself pringles.

Jokes like these are a huge part of life living on the third floor of Atherton hall. Pranavi is known for talking very loudly so that everyone can always hear her. Everyone loves Pranavi, this is just a funny thing she does. One night, the boys on our floor took every quiet hours sign from the third and fourth floor and taped them onto Pranavi’s door, creating a quiet hour collage. Even Pranavi was hysterically laughing when she discovered her new door decoration.

Pranavi’s roommate, Jules Dominick, is another one of my good friends. They get along really well and there room is always a fun and welcoming place. Jules will be my next highlight on my blog. Overall, Pranavi is a care free and energetic person who lights up every room she walks into. I am so glad I became friends with Pranavi here, even though we never knew eachother back home.

Julia Feldman

September 26, 2019 by lpm5394 2 Comments

For this post, I decided to highlight Julia Feldman, one of my first ever friends here at Penn State. Neither of us is from Pennsylvania, so we both attended the out of state overnight for admitted Schreyer Honors College students. I recall Julia and I were in the same group of people that were walking to the dining hall for a meal. We had introduced ourselves, had some small talk, and we talked about the jean jacket I was wearing that I got for 75% off from American Eagle.

I remember Thinking Julia was quiet but that she also seemed really nice and someone I could definitely be friends with. After meeting at the overnight, Julia and I had become mutuals on social media but we did not talk much after our first encounter.

At some point, I happened to notice that in Julia’s Instagram bio, she had mentioned the Jewish youth group that she was a part of, USY, in which she was a regional president for. I immediately recognized those letters, even though I participated in a different youth group, BBYO. I was so excited that there was another Jewish girl in Schreyer. It was comforting to know that there was someone I could reach out to if I ever wanted to participate in Judaic events on campus such as going to Hillel or the Chabad house for Friday night dinners.

Julia and I before dinner at The Corner Room

Once I got to New Student Orientation, I was excited to see Julia there. Once I saw her, I went up to her and said “Hi! I saw that you did USY and you’re Jewish. Let’s be friends and do Jewish stuff together!!” We still joke about how that was kind of strange for me to run up to her and say something so bold, but I am definitely glad I did because I made a great friend out of it.

Not only do Julia and I participate in different Judaic events on campus, but we do a lot of other activities together as well. We eat meals together all of the time and hang out, but most of the time we are complaining about our French class.

Julia is a kind, intelligent, and caring person and I am really glad that I ran up to her and basically forced her to be my friend. We discovered that our homes are only 58 minutes away from each other, as she lives in Virginia and I live in Maryland, so we will be able to see each other over school breaks as well!

Pat Elisii

September 18, 2019 by lpm5394 3 Comments

Next up is my good friend, Pat, or Patrick Elisii. Pat was one of the first people I became friends with at Penn State because we had already met at New Student Orientation. Coincidentally, as the perfect Penn State story, I met Pat at the icecream station in the Redifer dining commons with my roommate, Erica. We had gotten into a basic small talk conversation and went over names and such. He had misheard Erica’s name as “America” and this has been a big joke in our friend group ever since.

At New Student Orientation I had hung out with Pat a lot and noticed his extremely goofy and fun-loving personality. My roommate and I enjoyed spending time with Pat, and we parted ways at the end of NSO. We weren’t sure how often, if ever, we would see Pat once we finally got to Penn State since it is such a big school. Once we found our room on floor 3, we noticed that two doors down it said: “Patrick and Anthony” on the door. My roommate and I wondered if it could be THE Pat from New Student Orientation.

Throughout the day, as people continued moving into our hall, Pat finally walked in. Erica and I both thought it was absolutely crazy that we were so close to Pat, and we knew it was going to be an interesting school year. It is great that we all live so close to each other because we are now extremely close and we all hang out constantly.

Pat and our friends at the first football game

On our floor, Pat is nicknamed “Party Pat” because he is always the life of the party and is extremely fun to be around. Everyone loves Pat, and he never does anything to purposely hurt someone’s feelings or upset them. Pat is care-free and a great friend to those around him. When I had gotten very sick the second week of living here at Penn State, Pat was very helpful and went on a grocery run for me since I could barely leave my room. Pat came back with yogurt, soup, cold medicine, orange juice and more.

Pat is from Pennsylvania and Rugby was a huge part of his high school experience. Below is an image of him Playing Rugby during a big game.

Pat is very smart, and I know he will have a great future and career. Another one of his nicknames is “Hacker Pat” because he is a computer science major and helped Erica and I set up our printer.

Overall, Pat is someone I am really happy to be friends with in college. I know that he will be a great friend for life.

Jillian Wagner

September 10, 2019 by lpm5394 1 Comment

For this passion post, I want to highlight my new friend Jillian Wagner, or Jill. Jillian is from Dublin, Ohio and is an out of state student just like me. Jillian swam competitively all of high school but is trying to explore other aspects of her identity here at Penn State. Jillian made amazing friendships and relationships with people back in Ohio, and it is feasible to tell that she is a great friend and supporter.

I first met Jillian at the admitted students overnight for out of state Schreyer Honors College kids. We were in the same group for basic ice breakers and I got to know her a little bit better. I thought Jillian seemed really funny and nice as I walked back to my room for the night. During this walk, I was greeted with a text from my mom, who had been talking constantly with Jillian’s mom during the parents meeting. I was told that I had to meet Jillian. After their gossip session, our mothers decided that Jillian and I would be best friends because of our common interests.

Jillian and I are both marketing majors in Schreyer, we both love going to sporting events and having school spirit, we both like to socialize and make new friends, and we are both interested in communication as well. Humorously, our moms were right. I have loved getting to know Jillian and hanging out with her during our time here at Penn State.

Being around Jillian is always an extremely positive experience. She is fun-loving, vivacious, and extremely bubbly. Her laugh is contagious and we always have a fun time when we hang out. One notable thing about Jillian is her time management skills. Jillian makes time for all of her friends, countless social activities and clubs, and is still on top of all of her academic duties. She is fiercely smart and has a positive attitude toward the learning environment.

Jillian and I are both excited to participate in THON and take part in an organization this year to help raise money for the kids. We have been attending Springfield meetings together, which is a Schreyer Honors College based THON organization. I think this is another thing that we will be able to enjoy side by side while doing something that will benefit a lot of people.

Jillian is an awesome person and I have thoroughly enjoyed getting to know her thus far, and I am excited to learn more about her personality and values.

Morayo Ogunbayo

September 6, 2019 by lpm5394 Leave a Comment

This next post is about my new friend Morayo Ogunbayo. She is one of my close friends here at Penn State, and I have really enjoyed getting to know her better. Like my roommate, Erica, I met Morayo in the Penn State class of 2023 Facebook group, but this time it was the Schreyer specific group. Morayo was one of the first people to post, and I rememebr thinking her post was very funny and relatable. Once I saw her upfront humor, I knew she would be someone that I would get along with.

Morayo and I are both in the Schreyer honors college, but we have so many other similar passions and interests as well. In highschool, journalism was a big part of my life as I worked for the school newspaper as the co-editor in chief. I noticed that Morayo wrote down that she is planning on being a journalism major, which drew me in even more. We started communicating and we ended up liking a lot of the same shows and movies too. We bonded over our obsession for The Bachelor franchise and all of the other spinoff shows.

Now at college, we watch Bachelor In Paradise together every Monday and Tuesday from 8-10pm with a bunch of our other friends as well. It has basically created a viewing party in our hall basement longue. A simple thing like a common television show interest can really bring people together greatly.

I have been really sick lately and have not been able to go to class all week, I even ended up in the ER yesterday. Throughout this tough sickness, a lot of my new friends have been extremely helpful and kinsd, especially Morayo. Morayo has brought me food and medicine, and has eaten some meals with me in my room since I have barely been able to leave my bed.

Here is Morayo after bringing me chicken noodle soup

Morayo is an awesome friend and I have had a very positive experience getting to know her better and laughing together. She has a great sense of humor and can make me laugh until I cry. We have recently laughed a lot about the lack of adequate medical care here in State College, Pennsylvannia during my illness.

I am glad that I met Morayo here at Penn State and I can’t wait to continue sharing about some of my other great friends.

Erica DiCarlo

August 27, 2019 by lpm5394 4 Comments

The first person that I’d like to highlight is my roommate, Erica DiCarlo. I met Erica through the Penn State Class of 2023 Facebook group, and we immediately clicked. Erica and I both are in the business school and the honors college so we knew that we would have a lot of activities and classes together. We decided to meet up before committing to being roommates, and once we did I knew that we would get along very well. Erica caught my eye as a new friend because of her positivity and fun-loving nature.

I’ve really enjoyed my first week at Penn State with her and the new friends that we have met along the way. I am grateful that I have a roommate that I can be myself around and have a lot of fun with. Erica is very easy to talk to and loves to socialize, so we were able to make a lot of new friends together. She is from Radnor, Pennsylvania, has two siblings, and played Volleyball all of highschool.

Erica and I love to talk about random stuff while snacking on micorwavable mac and cheese and bagels from Bagel Crust. Most importantly, I asked Erica what flavor she prefered from the Creamery. Erica said that “My favorite ice cream flavor is cookies and cream because my dad always liked it and I wanted to be like him.”

There are so many reasons to come to PSU, but Erica chose Penn State because “after I got accepted into Schreyer, I was positive that this school was for me. Also, sports are a huge reason why I decided to come!” Penn State sports, especially football, are a huge incentive for anyone because of the excitement and fun that accompanies games. Erica and I are both extremely excited for the first football game against Idaho and we can’t wait to go together.

I’ve learned a lot about Erica over the past week and what it is like to coexist with another person. I’ve had an extremely positive experience with her, which is why she is the first person I wanted to highlight. She is my first college friend, and definitely my favorite!

Making new friends can be hard, but it has not been challenging at all with my roommate. We communicate really well, and I think that is what makes us such good friends. Overall, Erica is a funny, bubbly, and interesting person that I love to hang out with and learn from. She is a great friend and I can’t wait to continue our college experience together!

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