In college, we’re all so busy that I think it’s sometimes hard to see where school ends and your personal life begins. In my case, they’re literally one and the same. My partner Kade and I met in a general chemistry class our freshman year, and three years later - I still spend most mornings sitting next to him in a lecture and most afternoons in a lab as his lab partner.
Let’s get real: STEM majors are hard, but it makes it a little easier when the most important person in your life understands like no one else can why you care so much about your goals. Once, I read a caption on Instagram that said it’s good to be loved, but it’s profound to be understood. That hit me hard because I don’t know another human that will listen as intently as Kade when I come home ranting about how cool organic chemistry is, or how intricate neurons are. It’s nice when your biggest support system at home also is your biggest support system in the classroom.
Don’t get me wrong, it definitely makes it harder sometimes. Sometimes we forget that spending Friday evening in the library does not count as a date or I realize every dish we own is dirty, because, between both of our busy schedules, no one has been home long enough to do the dishes. I think one of the hardest things is to curb the inevitable sense of competition between the two of us. It’s difficult sometimes to remember that we’re not competing against each other and that we should be happy with each other’s success just as much as our own. But it’s hard not to laugh when the biggest fight we’ve had to date is over the correct answer on a test, or to smile thinking about how great graduating with my best friend is going to be next spring.
The atmosphere at Weber State has been the best environment possible for us to grow as individual students, and as a couple. The opportunities it has provided for us have been endless, and if it weren’t for Weber State, I wouldn’t be in the career path or in the relationship that I’m in today.
