by Mayra Blanco, ’19
Before coming to Gonzaga University, I was already accustomed to being a roommate. My roommate for eleven years was my sister who was 8 years younger than myself. My sister and I are radically different when it comes to living. I prefer to keep things neat, whilst my sister doesn’t necessarily care if the bed is made or not. Thus, I figured if I could live with her, there was nothing that could throw me off.
Once I arrived at Gonzaga, it suddenly dawned on me that there was a large probability living with someone new could be a disaster. I panicked because I knew nothing about this woman and I had envisioned in my head that meeting her was going to be this grandiose event that would destine us to be best friends forever.
Meeting my roommate was far from that. It was awkward. We knew nothing about each other! We were both fresh out of high school; we were excited but equally nervous about our future at Gonzaga. We both got started on unpacking after lots of small talk, which is a nightmare for any introvert (which of course I am an introvert), and she began to work on her “inspiration board.” My curiosity quickly ran stale when she posted pictures of politicians that I had fundamental disagreements with their worldview. Before I could react verbally, I was reminded of why I was at university. I was here to learn, grow, and develop as an individual. I turned to my desk to compose myself, and a copy of the Gonzaga University Mission Statement was there. The phrase that stuck out the most read, “Gonzaga cultivates in its students the capacities and dispositions for reflective and critical thought…”
It felt like a painful reminder that I was being harsh, judgmental, and unfair to this person I had just met. After some time, I looked back up at the inspiration board and I was stunned. Plastered over the board were references to Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, and more. My roommate was a nerd. I was elated and immediately began to recount the experiences I had at San Diego Comic Con, the ultimate bucket list item for any nerd.
Eventually we began to discuss how we preferred to live. I was nervous because I felt like I was too particular in my living style. All was cast aside when we realized our sleeping schedules were identical, I preferred morning showers while she loved night showers. Both of us were so focused on our studies, we never bothered each other. It was perfect.
After a couple months, we had developed a relatively strong relationship and we began to talk about hot button topics, such as politics. It was an incredibly valuable experience that exemplified the Jesuit value of magis, or more. I saw more, heard more, experienced more, and learned more.
About the Author:
Mayra Blanco is a rising senior at Gonzaga majoring in Biology from San Diego, California. Her undergraduate career at Gonzaga has ranged from academic tutoring, to a Folklorico dancer for La Raza Latina, to being an orientation leader for First Year Experience Programs. Recently, her focus has been on research she has been conducting with a faculty mentor on how climate change affects anti-predator response.