We treat friendship like background music: comforting, constant, easily taken for granted. Yet friendship is the architecture holding most of us upright. It shapes us, steadies us, reminds us who we are when everything else feels unsteady. And still, with the people who show up for us most consistently, we hesitate to offer the simplest words: I love you.

Loneliness is a widespread problem that many students experience, yet most keep to themselves, typically because it is perceived as a weakness. To acknowledge that you are lonely is often seen as admitting failure when everyone else appears to be thriving. But staying silent only intensifies the situation.