Like many incoming college students, I was intimidated by the idea of making friends my first semester. As I stepped into a new world hundreds of miles from my hometown, far away from my family and the friends I grew up with, reaching out and starting new friendships felt like a looming task rather than an exciting opportunity. Soon after arriving at Georgetown, though, I found some of my closest friends just down the hall.
I was assigned to the most social of the first-year dorms, and I understood the reputation within hours of moving in. On my first night of college, I decided to try to meet the people I’d be living with for the next year, so I walked down the hall and timidly knocked on doors. Over the next few hours, I met some of the kindest, most welcoming people, several of whom I would still call my closest friends three semesters later.
The floor soon turned into a tight-knit neighborhood of friends. From flea market outings to infamous Sunday morning pancake breakfasts, Trader Joe’s runs to late-night study sessions, Darnall 2 (known commonly as D2) became a home away from home, one I would be sad to leave at the end of the year. Our shared space was not only a physical space, but a cultural one too. Along with other Catholic friends, I accompanied Jewish floormates to Shabbat dinners; fellow Chinese-American floormates decorated the common room for Lunar New Year and cooked meals from home; friends and I shared what we missed about home, introducing each other to regional food, slang, and traditions.
The Darnall 2 common room had a way of pulling you in—a quick stop inside to say hello always took at least fifteen minutes. Finding a community, which felt so daunting upon my arrival to Georgetown, was easy when I could find it just down the hall. I wouldn’t trade anything for the relationships I built on D2, and I am so glad I ended up where I did.
Maddie (SFS ‘26)
Finding Home on the Hilltop 