How My Roommate and I Became Best Friends

by Zachary Sandman ’23

I remember moving into Potter North the first day of freshman year, opening the door, and seeing my roommate Jerry Tian ’23 who, unbeknownst to me, would stick with me until our senior year.

We were two very different people. He was very much an introvert, and I am very much an extrovert. Little did I know the late-night talks after lights out or playing UFC3 on my Xbox would lead to a friendship that would last my whole Peddie career.

Even during the pandemic, when he was in China, we would Zoom with our friends because we all missed each other, and I missed my crazy roomie when I lived alone in the dorm. He has been a solid partner in crime around the Peddie campus over the last three years, catching touchdown passes on the Armellino Quad and being a 10/10 spotter in the gym.

As our last year of Peddie started, I moved into another room with Jerry, keeping up our stupid traditions of popcorn study sessions, gaming at night and fighting over what song we are playing next on Spotify. I have been thankful ever since for the dorm survey I filled out the summer going into my freshman year because it has given me a best friend for life.

If there is any lesson in this reflection, it would be to take the dorm survey seriously. It might help you find your roomie for the next four years. After all, I did.