Three friends, close-knit like sisters, walk the campus of Fairmont State.  They walk with not a care about what others think of them.  They are who they are, and they will protect that about each other.  No one has yet defeated the friendship that bonds them together.  They are Courtney, Katie, and Brianna—three of my friends, who are slowly becoming closer to me.  Together, they can teach a lesson about being true to one’s self.  

Blonde, and proud of it, Courtney Bolyard strives to excel in Elementary Education.  Her shoes are accessories, just like her jewelry, and she picks them out to match her shirt.  She has a great sense of style and always looks marginally on the edge of stunning.  Courtney isn’t afraid of being blunt or letting someone know exactly what she thinks.  She’s a wonderful listener and is always there if you need her.  

She knows sign language because of her deaf brother.  With this ability, she has been able to gain quite the amazing boyfriend, Neil, who is also deaf.  The silence can be nearly suffocating when together in a room with just the two of them, but, even then, one can be entranced by the sensual and meaningful movements of their hands and body, which is more like a dance than a mere means of communication.  

This couple loves pulling pranks on each other.  Courtney gets her help from the single redhead of the group, Katie Jackson.  Instigator and activist, she’s spunky and loud, as well as fun-loving.  She knows how to have a great time, but the word “humiliation” doesn’t exist in her world.  Katie will take an insult much like an insignificant breeze, but, when it comes to compliments and praise, she’s like a sponge.  Stubborn as hell, once she has her mind set on something, she won’t let it go without a fight.   She epitomizes the term “fiery redhead”.

If asked what makes her happiest in life, she’ll answer with one of two things: food and MySpace.  However, like many, this redhead has her weaknesses, and that would be horror movies.  For those special occasions called movie nights, which usually ends up being a horror film, she and Brianna Hardinger, who also dislikes horror movies, sit together on a bed, clutching at the covers and hugging the pillows.  

Knowing that Brianna doesn’t like horror movies, one would hardly believe that she’s going through training to become a certified EMT.  She’s a bit of a klutz, but she’s willing to do what it takes, hence her career choice.  She’s one of the nicest and sweetest girls I’ve ever known, and she doesn’t let many things hold her back.  The occasional boy will catch her eye, though, and she becomes the typical giggling girl.  

All three have one thing in common: their faith.  Each is a member of the Baptist Christian Ministry, which meets every Tuesday evening at 8:30 pm.  They also attend the Chi Alpha meetings on Thursdays.  One way to describe the three of them in public is that they never meet a stranger.  Any person has the potential to become a friend in their eyes.  But they don’t pretend either.  They are who they are, and they don’t soften it.  If someone can’t accept them for who they are and what they do, then he or she probably isn’t worth the effort.  Oh, they’ll be polite, but none of them will take that extra step if one turns out to be a false friend.  

Sometimes, you would think that their lives revolved around their cell phones.  For Courtney, it’s a means of communicating with Neil when they aren’t together.  The cell phone is Katie’s connection to her family and friends, as is Brianna’s.  However, the cell phones also connect them as well.  “Just got out of class, where are you at?”  It’s a way to get in contact with each other and find out what each other is doing.  It’s a planning tool almost as much as it is a technology to communicate.  

They spend most of their time in a dorm room, shared by Brianna and Courtney, in Morrow Hall.  It’s comprised of two beds, two desks with chairs, a refrigerator, a television, a PlayStation two and some nightstands.  The predominant colors at first glance are bright green and blue with beads hanging from the ceiling and pictures of celebrities and posters decorate the walls, giving it some sense of homeliness and familiarity.  Sitting on the desks are the laptops, but one is misplaced on one of the beds.  Those belonging to Courtney and Katie often rotate positions from desk to bed, from bed to desk.  

Brianna’s bed is located next to the windows and acts as a safe haven for her and Katie during the nights taken up by horror movies.  Laying side by side, their heads at the end of the bed, together they hide their faces into their pillows simultaneously during all the right parts.  But they take their glory during Guitar Hero and Kingdom Hearts.  With controller in hand or guitar slung over a shoulder, they each take their turns at triumph.

The dorm room represents that solitary comfort when they just need to simply spend time away from all the struggles of campus life, a place to settle down in thought or study.  It’s the place where they talk and confess, joke and laugh, but most importantly, it’s where they remember.  Together, they reflect about all the good times past and wonder about the times to come, good or bad, knowing that whatever comes, they’ll make it through.  

Optimism—the best thing about these three friends would be their outlook on life.  No matter the trials in life that they may face, they know that what doesn’t break them makes them stronger.  They look towards the future optimistically, with a smile on their faces and a twinkling in their eyes, knowing that they’re ready for the world and hoping that the world is ready for them.  These three friends epitomize the very image of self-confidence.  

I admire these three girls.  Throughout this past semester, they’ve slowly taught me that I can have fun no matter what and that I need to be true to myself and be myself.  Gradually, spending time with them is helping me gain more confidence in myself and giving me the courage to become more outgoing.  One has to trust and be open to the idea of engaging in social settings, but trust has never come easy for me, which is why I have very few friends and many acquaintances.  But lately, I’ve been walking around with a smile on my face and a beat in my step.  I can safely say that these changes are thanks to these three friends, who try to include me in everything.  Life isn’t anything if you can’t enjoy it wholeheartedly.  And what’s life without a good time?  

In the words of Katie Jackson, “That’s what she said.”