You never know what you will miss until it is gone. The unimaginable thought of living without your sibling for the first time in your life affects everyone differently, and Spartans are no exception.

With college students returning to respective colleges or rising freshmen beginning a new chapter, younger siblings, such as Gaby Brown (11), Saumil Bansal (11) and Ainsley Shaw (12), are either left behind again or learning to live a whole new lifestyle without their best friend.

“The house is really empty and quiet, so the house is kind of sad, but I talk to her every day, and I distract myself with friends and schoolwork,” Shaw said.

Although her sister, Isabella Shaw, is all the way at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, technology allows them to communicate.

Change can be difficult, especially when you’ve been on the same process for years, so every reunited moment is precious (usually). 

“We went to the same high school, so we saw each other every day. Then you go from that to not seeing them for months, which makes the process difficult,” Brown said. “We talk on the phone a lot, but when he comes back, he’s super annoying because he eats all the food, and he wants to watch T.V. when I’m studying,… but I look forward to the funny college stories he brings when he comes back home from college.”

Memories that seemed insignificant at the time are now the only way to remember what used to be.

“It wasn’t necessarily too hard [adjusting] because I didn’t have a close bond with him, but after he left, I realized that it was kind of sad playing video games by myself,” Bansal said. “When he comes back, we cherish that time.”