Photo courtesy of Emma Hermacinski
Ever watched “Friends” and envied the close-knit living setup of the show’s six main characters? It’s hard to imagine that kind of housing situation existing in real life, much less on the Choate campus. But, tucked away behind St. John Chapel is Lowndes, a cozy dorm where five best friends live.
From the fall of their freshman year, Jordan Azzinaro ’22, Saijel Burkett ’22, Adrienne Chacón ’22, Emma Hermacinski ’22, and Adriana Rivera ’22 instantly clicked. The five only grew closer over the next two years, enduring the trials and tribulations of life at Choate by each other’s side. As sophomores, Azzinaro, Burkett, Chacón, and Rivera lived together in Atwater. But that May, it was announced that Atwater would become a boys’ dorm for their junior year — meaning the group would need to find a new home. So, along with Hermacinski, who had been living in McCook, they unanimously decided to try to live together somewhere else: Lowndes.
It’s always a shot in the dark when it comes to the Choate housing lottery system. Yet, either by chance or by fate, this year their dreams came true when the five of them secured spots in Lowndes, succeeding in living together once again — this time, in a dorm of their own. Dr. Yaser Robles, the group’s form dean and house adviser, said, “In the end, it all comes down to the lottery, and their options matched them with Lowndes. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls — I sincerely lucked out.”
Despite the restrictions Covid-19 has brought, the tight-knit dorm atmosphere has added new dimensions to their friendship and brought them a home within the larger Choate community. Whether it be ordering food together, sitting back and watching Netflix, or just hanging out and talking, Lowndes residents are rarely bored. Burkett said, “It’s never lonely. It’s never like we have to plan anything out. It just happens.”
With their best friends just a few feet away at any given moment, the Ladies of Lowndes, as they’ve nicknamed themselves, feel constantly supported and uplifted. “My favorite part about living in Lowndes is that I get to spend every day surrounded by people who just understand me,” said Hermacinski.
Whether on the playing fields, in the PMAC, or in the classroom, the five spend much of the daytime apart from each other until they all come back to the dorm. But in Lowndes, the group’s varying activities and interests bring them together and make their communal living more lively. “They continue to grow together. What makes this group remarkable is the fact that … they have different interests. Whenever there is a group conversation, you can see very different perspectives,” said Dr. Robles.
Not every friend group may be able to survive stacking a dorm, but the group’s time in Lowndes has only strengthened their dynamic. “At the end of the day, I don’t think we’ve ever gotten into a fight,” said Hermacinski. “We’re just really good at knowing each other’s boundaries, and we’re really good at reading each other.”
After months of living together, the five can sense when someone needs space. That mutual respect for one another creates an ideal dorm environment for the group. Hermacinski said, “There’s just a very specific sense of homey-ness to the whole dorm.”
For the rest of spring term, they have the chance to create new memories and reminisce on old ones, as the line between friends and family blurs even more. And with a little luck, they won’t need to worry about the evanescence of their time together. Next year, having chosen as a group not to apply for prefectship, Azzinaro, Burkett, Chacón, Hermacinski, and Rivera are hoping to live together in Lowndes once again.
From the fall of their freshman year, Jordan Azzinaro ’22, Saijel Burkett ’22, Adrienne Chacón ’22, Emma Hermacinski ’22, and Adriana Rivera ’22 instantly clicked. The five only grew closer over the next two years, enduring the trials and tribulations of life at Choate by each other’s side. As sophomores, Azzinaro, Burkett, Chacón, and Rivera lived together in Atwater. But that May, it was announced that Atwater would become a boys’ dorm for their junior year — meaning the group would need to find a new home. So, along with Hermacinski, who had been living in McCook, they unanimously decided to try to live together somewhere else: Lowndes.
It’s always a shot in the dark when it comes to the Choate housing lottery system. Yet, either by chance or by fate, this year their dreams came true when the five of them secured spots in Lowndes, succeeding in living together once again — this time, in a dorm of their own. Dr. Yaser Robles, the group’s form dean and house adviser, said, “In the end, it all comes down to the lottery, and their options matched them with Lowndes. I couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls — I sincerely lucked out.”
Despite the restrictions Covid-19 has brought, the tight-knit dorm atmosphere has added new dimensions to their friendship and brought them a home within the larger Choate community. Whether it be ordering food together, sitting back and watching Netflix, or just hanging out and talking, Lowndes residents are rarely bored. Burkett said, “It’s never lonely. It’s never like we have to plan anything out. It just happens.”
With their best friends just a few feet away at any given moment, the Ladies of Lowndes, as they’ve nicknamed themselves, feel constantly supported and uplifted. “My favorite part about living in Lowndes is that I get to spend every day surrounded by people who just understand me,” said Hermacinski.
Whether on the playing fields, in the PMAC, or in the classroom, the five spend much of the daytime apart from each other until they all come back to the dorm. But in Lowndes, the group’s varying activities and interests bring them together and make their communal living more lively. “They continue to grow together. What makes this group remarkable is the fact that … they have different interests. Whenever there is a group conversation, you can see very different perspectives,” said Dr. Robles.
Not every friend group may be able to survive stacking a dorm, but the group’s time in Lowndes has only strengthened their dynamic. “At the end of the day, I don’t think we’ve ever gotten into a fight,” said Hermacinski. “We’re just really good at knowing each other’s boundaries, and we’re really good at reading each other.”
After months of living together, the five can sense when someone needs space. That mutual respect for one another creates an ideal dorm environment for the group. Hermacinski said, “There’s just a very specific sense of homey-ness to the whole dorm.”
For the rest of spring term, they have the chance to create new memories and reminisce on old ones, as the line between friends and family blurs even more. And with a little luck, they won’t need to worry about the evanescence of their time together. Next year, having chosen as a group not to apply for prefectship, Azzinaro, Burkett, Chacón, Hermacinski, and Rivera are hoping to live together in Lowndes once again.
