Freshman year, so fast

I just cannot believe how fast freshman year went by. I still remember walking into Stuart for the very first time. I still remember not knowing what to say when Doug and Susan in VWK asked “debit?” I still remember going to sleep and waking up for the first time in my new home. I still remember saying goodbye to my parents. I still remember walking to class the first day. I still remember NSO. I still remember meeting my best friends and roommate for the first time. I still remember walking out of Chemistry 123 the first day and thinking, “Well, there goes my GPA.” I still remember moving everything into my room. I still remember sitting down to do homework after our first day. I still remember that “I’m home” feeling the first time I stepped foot onto UD’s campus. And I still feel like I belong here. I have met some AMAZING people here. The experiences I have gained are invaluable; the friendships I have formed do not have limits.

I am in love with the University of Dayton and do not know how I am going to spend three WHOLE MONTHS away from it. But as my first year draws to a close, I want to thank every single person I have met here, and those who have stayed with me from high school. You all mean so much to me. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! 

Lauren died from cancer in 2019. Her mother found the above Facebook post.

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A version of this article appears in print in the Autumn 2025 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 63. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE