By Liam Rippel In the spring of last year, my family introduced the idea of moving somewhere over the summer. This was far from ideal for me, as I was getting ready to wrap up high school and start my senior year. There were talks of moving to Ohio or Lynchburg, but my family decided on Blacksburg. This brought up the topic of whether I stay at North Cross. Fortunately, I ended up staying. My parents and I decided that it was unrealistic to drive two hours a day for school, so we opted into the dorms, and I can tell you it has undoubtedly been an experience. I am one of a select few Americans who have lived in the dorm. However, I can guarantee that I am the first dorm student from Roanoke. This year has been a learning experience like a watered down college experience a year early, having to self regulate and manage my time. I think that has been a great challenge for me so far. I have truly enjoyed living in the dorms this year. Last year I was very secluded in the way I related to and spoke to people at our school. But this year I have a whole new group of people to hang out with and it has benefited me tremendously. Our school is very small, so you find friends wherever you can, whether they are in different grades, different schools, different sports teams. I have many great friends but having all of these people in the dorms to become friends with has really enhanced my social life. For example, my junior year, I rarely spent time with Didi Dibetle ‘24 or Moritz Schmoranzer ‘24, and over the course of this year both of them have become two of my closest friends. I had the opportunity to room with Schmoranzer until January when he left for Pittsburgh to begin workouts for football. He was a great guy and a great roommate. Didi and I played soccer together my junior year but never really had the opportunity to click as friends. Moving into the dorms allowed for us to become close. I thought moving away from Roanoke and living in the dorm was going to be such a hassle, but I am grateful that I did. It allowed me to grow up a little more, prepare for college, and become closer with some incredible people.
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Liam Rippel
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