Harmony on Every Floor

Written by Ryan Mulrooney

Photography by Noah Laroia-Nguyen 

Everyday, students are met with crescendo and chaos:hands become veiny from taking notes;hearts sink into and never return from ocean deep readings;bodies ebb, never move during passing periods.To muffle the crescendo of work,some students turn to over-caffeinated states of mindand dry tears on unwashed, twin-sized bed sheets. Other students, however,return to residence halls on campus. House Fellows offer a melodious refuge from student stressors by infecting the beige-walled rooms with genuity, inclusivity, and plenty of dining hall pizza.They stir and facilitate conversation and push students to expand their horizons - an evening horizon that is as vibrant as the students who live on every floor.They listen and chat, and somewhere between the words,House Fellows have to navigate their own student trials, being a friend or authority, and choosing a presence that is either piano or forte. These student staff members are the last note in the chord.House Fellows provide a harmonious element to life on campus --neutralizing the paramount piles of homework with the confidence to help students achieve their goals in and out of the classroom. Thanks to these staff members, in residence halls across campus,  the crescendo can be quiet and still, just for a moment,with the emerging song lasting four years, even a lifetime. Inspired by House Fellows across the UW community.