For many students, attending college brings many beautiful experiences and new people into one’s life.
Pepperdine students said their friendship journeys have led them to grow, learn and share experiences with people they never thought would become their home away from home.
“I think I’ve learned to be more open to new experiences,” senior Bella Knudson said. “Having such great friends helped me take more opportunities.”
Moving to college is a chapter of life that allows people the opportunity to form new friendships, as students get to meet people from diverse backgrounds.
“It’s great to maintain relationships from home,” said Kelly Haer, executive director of the Boone Center for the Family. “But also being mindful to really live where you are and give your time, energy and focus to relationships and people where you are.”
From Roommates to Best Friends
Arriving at college can mean feeling nervous about meeting and living with a new roommate. However, Knudson and senior Lauren Lee said they felt a connection right away. The two had previously talked on Instagram, where they decided to be roommates, but Knudson and Lee met for the first time in person during New Student Orientation.
“As soon as we talked to each other, three messages in, we said let’s be roommates,” Lee said.
Their friendship evolved throughout their first year, and by sophomore year, both Knudson and Lee said they went abroad not knowing their living arrangements for the next semester.
Coming back from studying abroad, they said they were separated, and after a lot of communication with Housing and Residence Life, they were able to be placed in the same room.
“We were begging the resident director to put us in the same room and eventually it worked out,” Knudson said.
From living together their first year until senior year, Knudson and Lee said they have learned a lot from each other and appreciate their friendship. Their time at Pepperdine has bonded them, and their experience would have looked completely different without having one another.
“We have a radio show that we do every week, it’s called Happy Hour,” Knudson said. “I always say it’s our designated hangout time.”
Campus Life: Meeting Friends Through Extracurriculars
Putting oneself out there is a very important and challenging task in college. However, finding extracurriculars can help students meet new people and can be key to forming new friendships.
Senior sorority sisters Ava Stottlemyre and Rianna Smith said they joined their sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma, during their first year and were part of the same group of new members.
“We knew of each other, we were in the same pledge class,” Smith said. “But had I not gone with her to get ice cream we wouldn’t be sitting here today.”
Smith said that during Sigma Chi’s philanthropy event, Stottlemyre and her stumbled upon one another and decided to get ice cream with other women from their same sorority. Since then, they haven’t spent a day apart.
Outside of the philanthropy event, both of them said they felt their sorority has played a huge role in how they met and their friendship.
In a similar way, junior Daniel Cardenas and Mario-Andre Dominguez said they also met through their fraternity, Sigma Chi, where they developed a deeper friendship through events and spending time together.
“My sophomore year I didn’t want to rush, and he brought me out and made sure that I was active,” Dominguez said.
Since participating in the recruitment process, Dominguez and Cardenas have become fraternity brothers and Dominguez said this decision has completely changed his Pepperdine experience for the better.
“Seriously, when you’re not looking for something, it comes and it’s there and that’s exactly what happened,” Smith said.
Friendships Abroad and Back
Studying abroad can be a step outside of one’s comfort zone, as students oftentimes go abroad not knowing anyone or what to expect. Senior Caleb Bearman said he studied abroad in Heidelberg, Germany, during the Spring 2023 semester, which is where he met one of his best friends, senior Nathaniel Evans.
“We really hung out on our first trip that weekend to Saint Marianne, Germany,” Bearman said. “Me and him got just tighter over the semester.”
Bearman said he had never met Evans before going abroad, but did have close encounters with him the first year, where he realized they should have met.
“Technically we should have crossed paths but we never did,” Bearman said.
Since they met in Heidelberg, they have become close friends and had the opportunity to travel to iconic places together that they will never forget.
“We did an Italy trip so we went to Venice, Rome and the Amalfi coast, and the two of us really bonded,” Bearman said.
In the future, Bearman said he would like to keep taking trips with Evans, even though it might not be as far as the Amalfi Coast. Through moments of uncertainty while studying abroad, Bearman found a friend he can always count on.
Qualities in a Friend: Admiring Friendships
Haer said the biggest predictor of life satisfaction is the quality of healthy relationships.
Finding true friends during college is difficult, however, Dominguez and Cardenas said they have helped and encouraged one another throughout the years.
“Daniel really helped introduce me to new people my sophomore year,” Dominguez said. “He’s not afraid to talk to new people, and he also pushes me to do more things.”
His friendship with Cardenas influenced Dominguez to get out of his comfort zone more, which he said helped him transition into college life.
“The biggest way Mario has impacted my college experience is by being a friend,” Cardenas said. “Always being there, and always giving me his honest opinion.”
In a similar way, Stottlemyre and Smith said they are grateful to have found such a deep connection with each other.
“I think she is one of the most humble people I know, and that is something that is so important,” Smith said.
Smith said having a friend who is humble like Stottlemyre has helped her see the types of people and friends she wants to have in her life. They both have shown one another their character and values, which make their friendship strong.
“She always has a smile on her face and she is always cracking a joke,” Stottlemyre said. “She makes everything she is a part of more enjoyable for everybody.”
Finding each other has inspired both to admire one another as Stottlemyre and Smith said their friendship was a gift that they did not expect coming into Pepperdine.
Knudson and Lee have also learned more about each other throughout the years.
“She is so kind and always thinking about other people,” Knudson said. “It’s really nice to have someone like that in my life.”
Knowing what qualities to look for in a friend can help form powerful friendships.
“Someone who is willing to tell you the truth and willing to challenge you, that is so valuable,” Haer said.
Memories: Remembering Good Times
Making memories is part of college. Students recalled their favorite memories they have shared with their best friends.
“She was at my sister’s wedding,” Stottlemyre said. “That was probably the greatest day of my life.”
Stottlemyre said her and Smith are both integrated into each other’s families, which has only made their friendship stronger over the years.
“We had more fun than any couple there,” Smith said.
On the other hand, Dominguez said one of his favorite memories with Cardenas was when they traveled to London.
“We went to a soccer game in London together,” Dominguez said. “It was our first time seeing a London soccer game so it was good to experience that with him.”
Cardenas also said his favorite memory with Dominguez was attending Keinkmusic, an electronic music group, in Barcelona, Spain, as it was his first time visiting the city and was a great experience.
“Daniel is a friend that always reaches out and is always checking in on how you’re doing,” Dominguez said.
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Contact Ana Villarreal via email: ana.villarreal@pepperdine.edu
