From Anhthu: Arusha and I have attended every single school together since seventh grade! We met at Frost Middle school in 2013, attended Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, the College of William & Mary, and now Eastern Virginia Medical School where we are pursuing our medical degrees.

I met Arusha in seventh grade in Ms. Loach’s Computer Solutions Class. I saw that she was wearing a rock band t-shirt and I told her that I liked their music too. I actually only liked their acoustic songs whereas she preferred their rock songs- a distinction that reflected our differences at the time, with her edgy style complete with Doc Martens and my style more colorful and frilly.

Still, we quickly became friends that semester. We took every opportunity to pair up for projects and on the rare occasion we earned free time on the computers, we surfed the internet next to each other. I had so much fun coming up with ideas and working with Arusha on assignments, and sharing websites and YouTube videos we found amusing. I felt from the beginning that we could count on each other. Beyond helping each other with notes or a homework problem, I felt that we could count on each other to acknowledge and embrace our different perspectives and expressions

Even with our differences, Arusha and I found ourselves being drawn to similar academic pursuits. We have FCPS to thank for accommodating diverse minds in our educational journey and fostering our curiosities and growth. So much of the foundation for our shared dreams of becoming doctors and our shared passions for social justice began in school. Our high school coursework and senior research program allowed us to explore our interest in human biology and inspired us to pursue that knowledge in the context of medicine. The after-school clubs we participated in explored social issues and centered around community service, experiences that shaped our values and goals for how we want to give back in our work and personal lives.

Several schools and years later, Arusha and I are braving medical school together. We go on walks, play board games, and watch romcoms in our free time- time that’s as treasured as those free moments we had in Computer Solutions. Being able to support each other inside and outside of school and see each other through the different versions of ourselves has been a unique and special privilege. We’ve joked that since meeting each other in middle school, we’ve helped each other come closer to the middle of where we each began; more similar now than different, but always still understanding and always still counting on the other.