Connecting U: Friendship in College
Originally from Azerbaijan, Ibrahim is the founder of the Brooklyn Education Network and was Emily’s roommate at Harvard College. Ibrahim grew up with mixed messages on the meaning of friendship and what place friends should hold in your life. He talks about the experience of making friends when he moved to the United States in 4th grade, when he didn’t speak English. He discusses the change from school to adulthood, and deciding how to prioritize friendship in his life. Emily and Ibrahim met when they were signed up to live together at Harvard, and they had many arguments due to cultural differences. Expect friendships to change as you get to know yourself more, and show empathy when people’s lifestyle makes it difficult to continue being friends.
Key Takeaways:
As an adult, Ibrahim focuses on maintaining friends who share his lifestyle.
The lifestyle you intentionally choose after college will affect who you want to be friends with. Ibrahim thinks a healthy life and being happy within yourself helps lead you to healthy friendships.
Conflict in the dorm was very confrontational, but we had to practice empathy because we lived together. You can’t avoid your roommates!
Learning how to communicate with people who have different perspectives is going to be a valuable skill. Emily communicated to Ibrahim that she had good intentions behind their conflict, and this helped Ibrahim take the situation less personally.
Ibrahim had to grow a lot after moving to an area with people who had different opinions. He says learning to be flexible and view people with a softer, less defensive stance changed his life.
Proverbs 27:9 “A sweet friendship refreshes the soul.”
Tune in to Season 3: Friendships of the Connecting U Podcast for insightful discussions and practical advice on making meaningful friends. Subscribe to remain connected to God, yourself, and others. Follow us on IG and FB @ RemainConnected. TikTok @ ConnectingUPodcast. Hosts are @ Em.Robinsonnn and @ Mayra_Richards_ on IG.