The Thriving Wall

  The thriving wall is a collection of chaotic memories of breakdowns, awkward stumbles and, most importantly, the budding friendship between two college freshman roommates.  It served as an introduction between two girls who could not be more different and the wall, eventually with time, diminished the barriers of these two complete strangers who mutually decided to room together for their first year away from home. Each picture contains a moment when life hit us hard. Whether that may be walking home from work in a constant, heavy downpour (multiple times), or a compilation of clumsy moments that range from falling up the stairs, dropping highlighters down three stories, or even hitting your head on every surface possible. Any moment where just the mere thought of it makes your face scrunch up in second-hand embarrassment, the wall has it. This collection of pictures not only served as basic room décor for a dorm room (I know, I got the idea from Pinterest), but it represented a much larger idea. That being no matter how hard life knocked you down, the people who made it on the wall would be there to first, take your picture, then help you back up.

  The thriving wall became an outlet for us to embrace our trials and tribulations of our awkward freshman year.  It allowed a common ground between two girls and, ultimately, our future suitemates. After all, college is a wild, unhinged aspect of any person's life. For most of us, it's our first time away from home alone and if you can find some people who build you up, but are also able to make "thriving" memories with then you did something right. The thriving wall allowed us to keep these humble beginnings in our grasp and reminded us, that despite how hard life may seem, there will always be room to thrive.