Q- What was the significant event that lead you both to be close friends? 

Arielle Williams: “Well we initially met in 7th grade and we were casual friends. We rode the same bus so I would talk to her occasionally then. If I saw her in the hallway I’d say hi and we could talk occasionally. We both at the time had our own different best friends so we definitely didn’t think we’d be best friends one day. It stayed like that until freshman year. We both had lunch together and we were really the only other people we knew so we sat together. We really became good friends then but second semester when she convinced me to join AVID is when we became best friends. We all had that class together; Jimena, Jemilee, Ashley and I. I think Jimena mostly bonded over the fact that we both know what it’s like to not be first class, to endure hardships and to strive to be better because of them. We always say we’re a little more mature than the average teenager and although it sounds condescending and narcissistic, it’s true. We both have had to endure a lot of things most people don’t and I think our friendship was really solidified because of it.”

Jimena Gomez: “Ari and I met in 7th grade through our 3rd period class, Success for Tomorrow. To be completely honest, she didn’t like me because we were in the same group and I wasn’t focusing. We were just friends and weren’t really close. During freshman year we had the same lunch and we began to talk more and became closer. Having AVID together and seeing each other everyday led to our friendship and being able to become closer. As we began to talk more, we realized we both had gone through some hard times in life, and we were comfortable sharing our hardships. Sometimes the worst times will get you the best people.”