Evelyn MacPherson: We have known each other for about four and a half years, but for the past two and a half, we haven’t lived in the same city. We haven’t even lived on the same continent.
Elizabeth Phillips: Almost from the start, we were inseparable, a friendship I never thought possible until meeting her.
Paige Shin: We were designated as ‘twin buddies’ when I entered high school. It was the first time I had ever lived and attended school in America, and I almost immediately felt like a fish out of water.
David Park: She usually had her long, black hair untied, covering most of her upper body. Her rich hair, which swelled even more as it grew slightly wavy at the bottom, gave an unforgettable impact.
Elizabeth Phillips: The amount of memories we’ve made together is astounding.
Rachel Oh: Even without eating or shopping, simply going off campus and walking around the streets on a nice, sunny day were some of my favorite memories.
Jenna Lee: She is dramatic - oh boy, she is loud, and she hugs so strong.
Evelyn MacPherson: She said, “Whenever I’m with you, it’s like I have a partner in crime, or a sister. It’s as though when we’re together stuff happens, the normal rules of what should happen aren’t there.”
Paige Shin: She was the shoulder I always leaned on, the friend I always turned to when I needed someone. I could call her at 2 in the morning and she would always pick up, ready to talk through my troubles.
Elizabeth Phillips: I’ve made many a trips to Bobb during late hours to comfort her. After I was hospitalized with the flu, she and I facetimed and watched “The Flu” episode of Parks and Recreation during my quarantine.
Paige Shin: There were roadblocks. They didn’t seem significant at first.
Rachel Oh: The world is caged and the community within is tiny.
Jenna Lee: She calls me out for my dishonesty, when I’m refusing to tell my friend a hard truth. She tells me that all my friends and I care about is school work, and we lack engagement within the community.
Evelyn MacPherson: I interject, she keeps going picking up from my interruption.
Paige Shin: I hated my life for the longest time, wanting to return to Seoul. It took years for me to finally adjust.
David Park: She always told me that I was too young. She probably wanted to say that I was immature, since she was born about 4 months earlier than me.
Elizabeth Phillips: Normally I end up with injuries when I’m around her: a badly scraped leg from falling down the mountain once it started to rain, a dislocated knee cap from when she kicked it out while we were swimming in a stream.
Paige Shin: I spent sleepless nights regretting what I started that summer. I would be guilt-tripped and lied about. I sunk deeper and deeper into a feeling of dread and hopelessness.
David Park: However, as I spent more time I realized that there was something else that drew me to her.
Jenna Lee: I don’t mind her criticism. Her genuineness is refreshing to me.
Elizabeth Phillips: None of us are perfect, but we try to help each other, embrace, and overcome our flaws and obstacles.
Rachel Oh: She may have not changed my life upside-down. But she inspired me to become more adventurous and curious.
Evelyn MacPherson: The thing about her though, is that even the mundane feels like an adventure: a trip to the grocery store turns into the buying of a cactus we would later name Roscoe. A walk home encompasses a tree climbing break.
Paige Shin: We’ve matured together, stumbling along the way, but I’m lucky to have had her hand to hold.
Jenna Lee: She has what I don’t – the courage to express her temper and thoughts at every given moment of the day.
David Park: Friends brings tension to the stage, but more importantly, a moment of appreciation for the greatness of camaraderie is upheld.
Rachel Oh: Although we have graduated and are going our own merry (or thorny) ways, hopefully we will be an inspirational force for each other.