Joanna and I met playing high school volleyball, but our connection had nothing to do with the sport. Somewhere between spirit drills and shared eye rolls, something just stuck. Since then, we’ve done a little bit of everything — cried in bathrooms, climbed mountains, survived airports, paddled through swamps, enjoyed 4 a.m. beach trips, screamed lyrics in parking lots, and somehow still find time to sit on the couch and watch trashy TV together.
Connor and I met freshman year at Alfred University, where we both played lacrosse and quickly became friends. After college, that friendship only got stronger — we were on the phone almost every day, joking around and throwing out ideas on how we were going to build a successful future.
Maddie and I met in high school, but it was one ordinary day in class — casually deciding we should get dogs — that shaped so much of our story. A few months later, we brought home brother and sister goldendoodles, and somehow raising our “twins” became the most unexpected and perfect bond.
Dalton and I met sophomore year of high school, and he’s been the closest thing I’ve ever had to a brother ever since. From the start, we were inseparable — playing the same sports, working the same jobs, and eventually becoming roommates all four years of college.
Ellie is my younger sister, which means she’s seen every version of me — the loud, the emotional, the unfiltered, and everything in between. Somehow, she still looks at me no differently.
Alyah is my longest friendship — we’ve been close since middle school when we first met playing volleyball. She’s older than me and almost a foot taller, but never once made me feel like the little one.