JULIET PICKENS: Welcome to today’s episode of Unexpected Friendships: where we find unusual pairs around SPA and dig deeper into how friendships form, and how they last. I’m Juliet Pickens and today we will be interviewing Julia Taylor about her friendships with 2 first-year college students, Violet and Milicent.

JULIET PICKENS: Julia met Violet and Milicent through mutual friends and has stayed connected with both of them since then, even through now they are college students.

JULIA TAYLOR: Both of them I met in, like, mutual friends and groups. And, you know, I start talking, making a joke, and they’re like, Oh, I know what you’re talking about. And then, you know, a couple people go to leave to the bathroom, walk in the hall, and you’re left with that person. You just keep talking with them. Oh, yeah. And so I think that’s just, we just kind of ended up in spaces together. We crossed paths, you know, and here we are, you know, like, pretty good friends.

JULIA TAYLOR: I think there’s not, like, many, like, people of color, SBA and like, especially like black girls. So I think it was cool, like, getting to know them, you know, and being able to connect with them, you know, without, like, outside an affinity space. And so I’ve like, think, I think I’ve done more of that, even, like, with some of, like, the underclassmen girls who are, like, in my affinity group, I’ve gotten to know them more and chatted with them. And so I think that’s cool. You know, I’m, like, reaching out to people who might have, like, similar experiences to me at the school and stuff

JULIET PICKENS: Julia talks about how many people meet their friends through sports or living near each other, which is different from how she met Violet and Milicent. She also mentions how whenever she is with Violet or Milicent she always remembers just having a good time and feeling really comfortable around them, despite only knowing them for a short amount of time.

JULIA TAYLOR: even on days I don’t feel like super good, because you’re not gonna feel great every day. Sometimes you just need someone where you can trust you feel safe around like they’re, you know, they have the best out for you. And I definitely feel that way about both of them, yeah.

JULIA TAYLOR: We, like, hung out on Halloween and, like, watched like, some scary movies, and that was really fun. And then I guess, like, with Melissa, I’ve just like, done some crazy things with her. Like, I’ve literally been like, friends with her for one year. And like, I don’t know, like, all of a sudden we’re super close. And like, we just hang out a lot. We, like, I went to a dorm room, and, like, we just drive around. We go to the mall, different, you know, different things in college.

JULIET PICKENS: When I asked about the ways these friendships have impacted her life she talked about how she can relate to them and just connect through jokes and spending time together.

JULIA TAYLOR: My experience at SPA, it’s like, hard to really find someone who can relate to that. And I mean, I think, like, we related to that in like, a comedic way, you know, we’re able to, like, laugh about some of like, you know, things that are hard, you know, like what it for, like what our identities are, but I think we just have like, similar personalities. Like, we laugh a lot. I think that’s like, I don’t know. Like, whenever I think about that friendship, I just think about laughing a lot, like, talking on the phone for hours and hours about random things

JULIET PICKENS: Even though Julia, Violet, and Milicent are busy with school and after-school activities they still find the time to talk to each other and hang out when they are free, whether that’s just a call on the phone, texting every few days, or going somewhere together.

JULIA TAYLOR: We just kind of go on like, little adventures together, like, whether it was in school, at a school, at the mall, you know, we both kind of like to just have fun and just kind of like, you know, I think we’re both kind of ambiverts, but when it comes down to it, like, sometimes people are held back to do something. We’re like, let’s just do it. Let’s just go on that ride. Or let’s just, let’s just go to that, you know, place, you know. Like, I think we both are pretty, like, ambitious people as well. In terms of, like, we both are into music and so we’re not too shy to like share that with other people. Yeah, I think that that is something we both have in common.

JULIA TAYLOR: everyone has a different perspective of you, whether you walk down the street and they pass you and that’s the only time they see you, or you have a class with them, or you’re the best friend, you know everyone’s gonna see you differently. And so I think, yeah, they know me in a way. Other people don’t, just because of how I spend time with them and how they know me.

JULIET PICKENS: If you want to find more podcasts, head over to RubicOnline to find more like this. Also if you liked this podcast and haven’t seen the other episodes of Unexpected Friendships make sure to do so.
See you next time.