I’ll admit it. I’m a coffee addict. I believe the world would be a better place if everyone started their day with a dark roast blend of skim milk and Splenda.

When I first found out I was going to be a 2011 Medill cherub, I went on a coffee date with my best friend. On the flight to Chicago, my stomach felt so sick I couldn’t even eat, until I grabbed a coffee from the flight attendant and assured myself I was worrying over nothing.

The first week at cherubs was a blur of new faces and names, but I somehow found someone who loved coffee just as much as I did. We would run into town and grab coffee at the Unicorn Cafe before walking back to our morning class. We were strangers to each other, but it was okay because we were intrinsically connected by caffeine addiction. Soon we became close friends who shared lattes, muffins and hilarious memories from our first days as journalism cherubs. I always felt wide awake and ready for class after that daily dose of caffeine. By the second week at Northwestern, I was drinking two cups a day.

When I think about it, coffee was the catalyst for more than one amazing moment at Northwestern. Starbucks runs to the Norris Student Center turned intense when Women’s FIFA World Cup games were on, and a quick stop by the espresso stand at the Downtown Evanston Farmers Market would land me an amazing interview.

Today is the 20th birthday celebration for the Unicorn Café, and I’m sitting at a back table drinking a cup of hot coffee for free. These things must be fate because it’s the last week at cherubs, I have $20 to my name, and I definitely couldn’t have afforded to pay for a cup of coffee. I’m not about to let a good opportunity go to waste.

Coffee has been my lucky charm here. And I figure there’s no harm in enjoying a free cup, or two, or even three, as long as I get back in time for class.