It was finally the day to find out who my college roommate was. I was excited and nervous while opening the envelope that held the name of the person I would most likely spend the next year with. So many thoughts were running through my head, such as “Will we get along?” and “Will we have anything in common?” I quickly skimmed through the paper until I found the part at the bottom that said my roommate’s name and number, then looked at the name again. It couldn’t be right, could it? My roommate had the same last name as me, spelled the same and everything. I don’t know if it was a little joke from the people assigning rooms or just that we had similar answers to the room questionnaire. All I know is that my roommate and I have the same last name – my name is Tonya Loewen and hers is Eva Loewen. When I tell people this, they always ask, “Are you related?” As tempting as it is to say “Yes, we are related,” we aren’t related and didn’t meet until move-in day. Eva had the same feelings when she found out my last name, and said “My parents were really relieved that my roommate was someone who had something in common with me and not a total stranger, even if it was just our last name.” Bill McGlothing, SCCC English instructor, also experienced the interesting connection between my roommate and I. “When my colleague Anita Reed told me that I would have Dana Loewen’s little sister in class, I was immediately curious and eager to meet her. As I looked at my class rosters and saw the name Eva Loewen, I focused only on the last name. I mentioned to Anita later that Dana and Eva didn’t look alike, and she told me that Tonya was the sister, not Eva.” The next time he saw my roommate in class, she told him how she was Dana’s sister’s roommate. Hope and serenity are words that bring a sense of peace and tranquility, and the first names of SCCC roommates Hope Unruh and Serenity Johnson. Hope Unruh’s first roommate left school, so she was assigned a new roommate. Hope didn’t know that she would get her new roommate while at home during the weekend, so coming back to her room with a strange person sleeping in it was a shock. Serenity Johnson was living with a resident assistant and was moved when there was an open bed in Hope’s room. Both girls were worried at what kind of person their new roommate would be, but soon became very close friends. Part of their bond is because of their names. They thought it was comical when introducing each other, since both names are similar and have calming meanings. “I think it is a good sign that we became roommates since we both have meaningful names. It was a really good coincidence,” said Hope Unruh. These interesting roommate pairs might’ve been an accident, but they brought strong friendships between roommates that are unforgettable.