Columbian Friends Volume Two: Andrew Swan

I have known Andrew for almost five years. We met at debate camp as incoming freshman. During our time at Willamette, we debated together, argued, were roommates, hated each other for a while, and ultimately returned right back to where we started: a friendship built on emmense loyalty and trust.

The thing about Andrew is that I’m pretty sure he’s a genius. Like, Mensa genius. He scored about 25 points higher on the LSAT than I did, a feat which ensured that he make money off of law school. Aside from that, Andrew is a concert opera singer, accomplished Philosophy student and airplane expert. When we lived together, I grew to appeciate these hobbies and ultimately took great comfort in the opera I heard when entering our apartment.

While I consider myself very liberal, Andrew is a loyal GOP conservative, a fact which has created more than a few heated arguments over the course of our friendship. Since we’re both pretty good at arguing (although he has a bit more official hardware in that department than I do after clearing almost half a dozen times at various national tournaments), these debates were often epic. However, at the end of the day, we each pushed each other to learn more, work harder, and ultimately move more towards the middle. I am smarter because I have known Andrew.

As I said earlier, the core of my relationship with Andrew is absolute loyalty and trust. I can tell him anything, and he can confide in me. If I’m ever in trouble, he’s the first person I call, and visca-versa. Andrew really is a great friend.