A Lifelong Bond: Best Friends Look Toward Graduation

“We would go from dance to basketball, eating dinner in the car,” recalled Lauren. “We were always running around.”
 
As Rachel and Lauren bonded over school, sports and hobbies, their families became close as well. 
 
“Our parents would call the other one ‘honorary daughter’ and our parents and siblings became friends,” said Rachel. “Our families are very integrated and did pretty much everything together.”
 
After high school graduation, Lauren started her first year at Duquesne’s Palumbo-Donahue School of Business and Rachel attended another university in southwestern Pennsylvania. It was the first time they had been separated since they met.

Lauren joined a sorority and settled into life on the Bluff. It wasn’t long before Rachel found herself spending most of her free time visiting Lauren at Duquesne, falling in love with the campus and all that Pittsburgh has to offer. She started to consider a transfer.
 
“I was coming into the city to visit Lauren nearly every weekend,” said Rachel. “I spoke with the transfer admissions staff at Duquesne, and they really made sure to answer all of my questions about the University and the School of Education.”
 
Rachel made the official decision to join Lauren at Duquesne. Lauren was thrilled to have her friend nearby once again, and Rachel felt comfortable from the start as she navigated campus, met new people and pursued bigger goals. 
 
“You can walk everywhere; I love the community,” said Rachel. “That's why I became a tour guide. I absolutely love Duquesne and wanted to talk to other transfer students.”
 
While the friends enjoy their time in Pittsburgh, they also travel together regularly. They’ve visited Miami, taken a cruise and most recently embarked on a four-day road trip from Pittsburgh to Colorado where they slept in a tent each night.
 
“There aren’t that many people you can sit in a car with for that long,” laughed Rachel. “It’s so nice to travel with a trusted person you’ve known your whole life. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
 
With graduation on the horizon, the friends have a good sense of what they want to achieve and the impact they can make on the world. Rachel hopes to secure a teaching position for the fall while Lauren plans to attend law school. Regardless of where they end up geographically, they’ll always be grateful for the life-changing bond and enduring connection they sustained throughout childhood and strengthened at Duquesne.
 
“Having a relationship with someone you grew up with integrated in your college experience is just something that not a lot of people experience,” said Lauren. “It’s been such an inclusive experience having Rachel here. It’s one big memory on its own.”