2022-2023 Pio-Amazing Room Contest Winners
Thank you to all students who participated in our first-ever Pio-Amazing Room Contest! We enjoyed seeing your campus pride and how you added your own personal touches to make Carroll your home away from home. Congratulations to Hilger Hall residents, Sage and Lauren, who received best room on campus, as well as our nine finalists.
Sage & Lauren | Grand Prize Winning Room
"We decorated the room with a collaboration of our personal styles mixing a western look and a nature-based aesthetic to create a room that is uniquely us. We filled our dorm with cozy lights, pictures of friends and family, paintings, and many plants that bring us joy. Our plant collection has continually grown throughout the school year and every plant has its own name. The paintings in our bathroom are ones that we made ourselves during one of our weekly roomie movie and pasta nights. Our room is filled with memories and it makes the place feel like home. It is easy to come back to our dorm after classes and be able to study in the decorated nooks under our beds, watch our favorite tv shows, or have friends over. This room has become a significant part of our lives and is our home here at Carroll."
Ashley & Sarah | Finalist
"Our room is the best home away from home because we both add our own touches that create a fun yet studious essence. Our room has enough space for both of us to make our own but it also becomes a very easy area to convert to host game and movie nights. We love promoting Pio Pete and all of our Carroll swag as much as we can! :)"
Alyssa, Hannah & Vanessa | Finalist
"Our apartment is a home away from home because we have filled it with items that represent love, laughter, and all the things a home brings. At Carroll, we have the luxury of personalizing our space to our needs and wants. To us, that means pictures of our friends and family, comfortable furniture, calming decor, and anything else we find on our (too often) Hobby Lobby runs. This space makes us look forward to coming back to school after breaks and coming back to the apartment after a long day of studying. This apartment is home to not only our belongings but also to many memories which will be cherished for the rest of our lives."
Alexis | Finalist
"Coming back to Carroll University for my second year, I was unsure about what to do with my new room. Of course, I tried to look up ideas and themes but none of them seemed to strike me. I realized that I'm not one to stick with one theme and that I liked a combination of themes, in which I came up with girly pink/brown chic mixed with floral/nature. I absolutely love my room because it's my personality and no one else's. My room gives off good, positive vibes which helps me through tough times during the school year. It reminds me of my home away from home, where my roots lie, because it gives me the same warm feelings that I experience every time I walk through my own front door. The overwhelming feelings of joy that I get from seeing my friends and family are the same that my room gives me, which makes me happy and excited to stay at Carroll University."
Emma & Sadie | Finalist
"This room is our home away from home because it is a very safe and calming place. We have added all the decor and pictures that make us feel comfortable and safe. It is nice and cozy and has all our favorite things and colors! We each have a different style, however, we were able to collaborate and coordinate with each other to make this masterpiece we call home!!"
Kaitlyn & Kylie | Finalist
"We put lots of careful thought and planning into our Pio-Amazing room. We wanted it to incorporate both of our styles and things we both loved. We each picked a favorite color and those became our room theme. Since we both love hanging out with friends and family, we wanted our room to be bright and inviting during the day and also at night. Because of that we like to put up decorations for each season/holiday, keep lots of snacks stocked in the fridge, have fairy lights all over, and even added peel-and-stick carpet tiles so we could have friends over to play games and relax on the floor. We love to keep our door open at all times, so we can make new friends and chat with people on our floor. Carroll graciously allows us to decorate our rooms how we want and make them our own home away from home. At first it was nerve wracking to be away in college and away from family and friends, but because of our perfect space, we have made such amazing memories that are truly unforgettable! Go PIOS!"
Jillian, Kate, Faith & Maggie | Finalist
"We were very intentional in our design for our Pio-Amazing room. We love to spend time with our friends and loved ones. Therefore, we wanted to create a "home"-like space for everyone, including us. This is our home away from home because of our unique touches of our memories in pictures, the calm colors, and the very welcoming environment. We individually were able to decorate each of our rooms to match our personal styles, which made us feel at home. We also wanted to include our Pio pride by adding touches of school spirit. We are very fortunate to call this place our home, and we thank Carroll University for the opportunity to show what this space really means to us! Roll Pios!"
Jadyn, Maddie, Bria & Erica
"Moving onto a college campus means moving away from the old habits and co-dependence of our younger selves to pursue the degrees that will very soon define our futures. Having a living space that we can feel comfortable in makes it easier for us to step away from home and embrace our time here together. Coming into a new school year with fresh beginnings, the four of us were strangers just weeks before we arrived. Putting all our personal attributes into the shared living space, we are able to decompress after our long days as aspiring healthcare professionals."
Kristina | Finalist
"I think what makes this room my home away from is because of all the personal details and things from home that I was able to bring and include in my room. Being able to decorate it the in a way that I love makes me feel like home away from home when I am here."
Courtney & Fiona | Finalist
"We consider this room our home away from home because we decorated it in a way that makes both of us happy. We have photos of family and friends on our desks to remind us of home. To create a more relaxed atmosphere, we have string lights and a lamp to use instead of the fluorescent light. We also brought pillows of our dogs, which always makes us smile when we look at them. We went with a pink theme for our room, and while although not everything matches exactly due to our individuality, the rug in the center pulls it all together. We're so happy with how our room turned out, and it really does seem like a home away from home."