‘Nutty’ roommates make it work

By Katie Coldiron
Greenup County High School

By Governor’s Scholars standards 2011 has been a fairly quiet year for roommates. Hundreds of friendships have formed, lots of teenagers have bonded, and while some rooms may be messy, they are still in one piece.
That is no small accomplishment for a program that brings together nearly 1,100 high school seniors, pairs them up with complete strangers, makes them live together for five weeks in college dormatories, and asks them to follow strict rules while spending their days – literally 24/7 – building academic excellence and leadership skills.
Officials on the three Governor’s Scholars Program campuses, Bellarmine University in Louisville, Centre College and Murray State University, expect some nerves to be frayed. They take great pains to make sure roommates are different by geography, culture and personal background.
There may be some tension, particularly in the early days of the relationship, but it usually ends with successful results. As GSP Executive Director Aris Cedeño puts it, if a scholar is not uncomfortable at some point in the program, then the program is not effective.
“The goal is that you and each individual scholar leave with an individual experience,” Cedeño said.
One of those unique experiences took place in Petrik Hall on the Bellarmine campus where Abby Lissanu and Allyn Goatley found themselves placed together for all of their differences and for one important similarity: They each had a peanut allergy. In their case, GSP officials paired them to ensure that peanut products wouldn’t be introduced into their room.
Abby is from the smaller town of Somerset, while Allyn is from Bowling Green, the third largest city in Kentucky. Allyn describes herself as “extremely American,” while Abby’s parents are from Ethiopia. Their personalities are also quite different. Abby is polite, loves to entertain in the room, and reads quite a bit. Allyn loves dancing, the song E.T. by Katy Perry, and all things Asian. However, those differences don’t seem to create much friction.
“We kind of have different interests, but we agree on the core things,” Abby said.
Before they met, each girl experienced some anxiety about her future roommate. Allyn was the first to arrive at Petrik. “I came into the room before Abby, and my parents were joking that I might have a really outrageous roommate,” Allyn said. Before Abby met Allyn, she saw her army-green luggage, and immediately loved it. Allyn says it’s gray, but appreciates the compliment. The girls agree the experience has been good.
“We’re not as opposite as some roommates,” said Abby…. “Allyn is wonderful, and I’m envious of her proximity to Forever 21.”
“She’s just so bubbly all day, and very polite”, said Allyn.
And to think this new friendship was based on peanuts.
The girls hope to stay in touch, but they seem to be realistic about long-distance relationships. Abby hopes to attend an Ivy League school, while Allyn is looking at Centre College in Danville.
“I don’t go to Somerset that often,” Allyn joked.
Still, Cedeño speaks of community and the sense of belonging that Governor’s Scholars will always share. And social media like Facebook have made the world a much smaller place for the community called GSP.