The end of senior year is a bitter-sweet time as prom, powderpuff and graduation roll around and the hard goodbyes between friends begin. Although for some lucky seniors, the start of their college experience will begin with their best friend by their side.

Coppell High School seniors Campbell LaPuma and Nathan Herron will be rooming together beginning this fall at the University of Arkansas.

“Arkansas was one of my top options before anyone even knew where they really wanted to go,” LaPuma said. “I love the mountains and the scenery of the state. My mom went there which is mainly why I had my eyes on the school for a while.”

Herron had been debating between the University of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Arkansas before making his final decision in the beginning of April.

“Both my parents went to OU, and a lot of my family lives in Oklahoma so I just always felt as if I had to go there,” Herron said.

However, Herron made the decision of going to Arkansas instead after visiting Fayetteville.

“I was convinced that I wanted to go there after touring the business school and also seeing how beautiful the campus is,” Herron said. “College towns aren’t usually the best looking places but Fayetteville is beautiful.”

Although part of both Herron and LaPuma knew Arkansas was one of their top choices, they were even more certain they wanted to go there when they found out they were going together.

“We met at a mutual friend’s birthday party in middle school and have been best friends ever since,” Herron said. “He has been with me through my whole high school experience and I am excited to do college with him.”

When asked about what to expect when it comes to rooming together, both boys did not hesitate to answer.

“I am a little messy, but Campbell isn’t so that is one thing that I think i’m going to have to change about myself,” Herron said. “Besides that I expect us to get along and play a lot of video games together.”

Likewise, Campbell knows that the two of them will get along. However, other than that he has no expectation.

“I have no idea what to expect to be honest, but Nathan and I are close enough to the point where we can compromise with each other and make it work without much problems,” LaPuma said.

CHS seniors Kaylee Kendall and Natalie Henderson will also be rooming together at Texas A&M University this fall but unlike Herron and LaPuma’s many years of friendship, these two girls have only gotten to fully know each other this year.

“Natalie and I have statistics and psychology this year which has not only caused us to get closer, but we have learned that we are a lot alike,” Kendall said. “I like how we have begun to get close recently because we both thought it would be cool to room with someone familiar, but who we aren’t best friends with, at least not yet.”

Henderson described the decision to room together to be a split second.

“I was talking about it in class one day and she overheard me and told me if I needed a roommate, she’d love to room together,” Henderson said. “I immediately took her up on it.”