As the housing selection process took place on March 22 to 27, feelings of stress and relief filled the student body as they found their homes for next year.

While students look for housing, they search for where they will feel most comfortable, and often times, students have already found the right community. In an email, manager of housing services Heidi Herchelroath said that every year the majority of students return to the same residence hall.

SAME BUILDING

Freshman business major Alicia Perez found her home in Hart Hall this year and will continue to live there next year. She feels that the small community makes it easier to engage with other residents. For Perez, the resident director, resident advisors and the engaging community of Hart Hall make the “far walk” worth it.

“My heart belongs to Hart,” Perez said.

All the way across campus, another love for a residence hall bloomed in Blackstone Hall. Sophomore elementary education major Angelina Orozco has lived on the FirstGen floor of Blackstone for two years and will return next year. Her love for the community grew because of  its comfortable, diverse and accepting atmosphere.

“I actually had to live here because of the FirstGen program, so I didn’t know what to expect,” Orozco said. “I feel like it’s been a real comfort living here… At least on my floor, we’re all FirstGen, so we can relate in that aspect, and it’s like you don’t have to hide that part of who you are.”

FINDING COMMUNITY ELSEWHERE

While many stay in the same residence hall, others move to find a different community or join their friend group. Sophomore public relations major Sefania Tjahaja has resided in Alpha Hall for two years and plans to move on to something new. Tjahaja will miss the closeness of the parking structure, but will happily move to Hope Hall for the community.

“All my friends live in Hope,” Tjahaja said. “I remember last year when we were applying for housing, me and my roommate, we couldn’t find any rooms in Hope or Horton, because those are two options that we wanted to get in, but we [ended up] not getting those [so] then we decided to just stick with Alpha.”

Tjahaja is moving next year to live with friends. Moreover, junior philosophy major and current resident of Hope Kyle Schraeder noted that Hope has a great community and location.

Whether it is apartments, residence halls or off-campus, each student finds their place and discovers comfort in the community they build.