I'm a well read grad student who's bluntly honest about all things, although I try to be most honest about myself.
"One of the bedrooms was mine, holding a sparsely covered bed and a white dresser."
Holding is an awkward word here. One of the bedrooms was mine, with a sparsely covered bed and white dresser makes this a little smoother.
"Even doubting this hope would come true, I still held onto it."
Ending in a preposition, and an awkward sentence structure. Despite my doubt, I held onto hope. < -- this also makes it less wordy.