The Rotunda Story: A Story of Friendship

By: Tulsi Ram Lohani '25, Communications Director

One of the most fulfilling parts of my role as the Communications Director is my intimate understanding of how first-year scholars interact with one another and find themselves in different pockets of the SMU community. Whether that is over 200 event credit submissions or hunting down a particular photo of a first year and trying to get the story behind it, it is the most heartwarming part of my SMU journey.

Another aspect of my role, which I created this past summer, is the Scholar Scoop, and this particular issue is the first one with submissions and more editorial content to tell the Rotunda Story for the first time -- unapologetically -- from the student experience.

Of course, a daunting task I had to complete was deciding the cover story for this significant issue. I sat on many ideas for different months, with varying reasons on why or why not to pursue them. Still, as I got thinking one night at 2 AM while sifting through event credit submissions, I ran across two particular patterns and many submissions. Brian Contreras ‘27 would submit his event credits during the event, and Hannah Choi ‘27 would always submit them three hours later, with the same picture tones and two drastically different but intertwined experiences.

So, for this Rotunda Story, I wanted to explore and show you all the friendship between Brian and Hannah. Still, I want you to hear from them, as much as their voice is essential in telling the story of their friendship and how they explored brilliance at SMU together.

Brian

“On the first day of RISE, I was filled with so much excitement but also a great number of nerves. This was going to be my first time around other students who knew nothing about me or my past. Coming from a small town you get familiar and comfortable with being around the same people. As I arrive at one of the first sessions the auditorium is packed, so I decide to sit in the back and not be confronted by the over whelming emotions I felt.

Throughout the presentation here comes another student, I think to myself that this is the time for me to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people. This is when I met Hannah, who at the time I did not know was going to become one of my best friends in college.

We quickly connected on little things about our life that we had some shared experiences. The excitement from coming to a huge city when we both came from small schools. Together we challenged each other to get out of our comfort zone and meet new people. By supporting each other we both gained confidence to go up to someone and introduce ourselves. Once school officially started and classes got in the way of our schedule, life seemed to get chaotic.

But having Hannah as support we were able to debrief and find moments of peace together. Whether this was just relaxing at the ACE or attending events together, I found comfort in sharing some of the best moments of my life with a friend I knew was for life. We both found that attending school hosted events together we were able to find a balance between school and life. This also helped us hold each other accountable by ensuring we stayed on top of our schoolwork. As well as taking care of us by going to the gym or doing face masks.

Through Rotunda I found a friend where we now share many inside jokes, vulnerable moments, and a companion to lean on during college.”

Hannah

“Moving into college, I was filled with both excitement and anxiety. I was excited to meet new people, but also, I was anxious I wouldn’t be able to find the people I click with. That is, on the second day of being on campus, I met Brian. We miraculously sat together in the very back row of one of the first sessions of RISE, and later was introduced by a mutual friend. All my anxieties were gone, because we instantly hit it off.

During the reception of the session, we laughed over the fact that he got lots of food, but barely put a dent in it. We bonded over our somewhat close proximity to the university. We told each other how we wanted to branch out more and meeting new people, in which we eventually challenged each other to do so. Essentially, my friendship with Brian grew more and more by the day, making him one of my best friends from college to this day (a huge declaration to make this early). However, as school started and assignments piled on, I felt like I was way behind and felt so lost. That is, until I talked with Brian and saw how he set himself a plan to be at least one day ahead of his work. His determination and ability to maintain such a consistent schedule made me wake up and focus on achieving so. He inspired me to put in extra work to be on top of things, but also being completely okay to put myself first and foremost. Brian does make me want to be the best version of myself I can be, whether that be going to the gym at 6 in the morning, or even winding down and watching our show together.

Not only am I thankful to be such close friends with Brian through Rotunda Scholars, but with many more. The space ACE provides really becomes a safe space where you can rant about your day at school, ask nearby peer counselors for homework help, or even get a makeover for no reason.

Rotunda Scholars truly is like a family, in which the best memories of your time at university can be spent with them.”