Before the inside jokes and group chats, many senior friendships started with awkward conversations and nervous introductions. Ava Newman (Class I) remembers anxiously texting Addy Keaveney (Class I) the night before her first day of freshman year after meeting at a captains’ practice for field hockey the day before. “We were trying to figure out what to wear, and we were just so grateful to have somebody to sit with at lunch,” Newman said. Now, Keaveney is one of her closest friends.
The end of the school year is a bittersweet moment for seniors as they finish four years of hard work and prepare to move on to a new chapter in their lives. Looking back on their friendships at Nobles, seniors’ memories of first impressions range from awkward introductions to rumors.
Newman also recalls a first impression that turned out to be completely off-base. She recalls repeatedly seeing her now-close friend Gretta Hulbig (Class I) at lacrosse events before they ever spoke. “We’d always look at each other, but never say hi. We were kind of like, ‘Who’s that girl?’” Newman said. The two even played against each other before finally becoming friends through field hockey that fall. “She thought the same about me at first, but now we laugh all the time together,” Newman said.
Favorite professional sports teams also commonly surfaced in seniors’ memories as an opportunity for bonding. Lucas Ilzarbe (Class I) remembers meeting Rayan Salamipour (Class I) during orientation after spotting him wearing an Arsenal F.C. jersey. “We started talking about soccer, and he became one of my first friends,” Ilzarbe said.
Ilzarbe also recalls one friendship that, at first, made him nervous. After quickly becoming close with his friend Jackson Fai (Class I), Fai became friends with another student, Anran Liu (Class I). “Because [Fai] had been my first friend, I was a little nervous that [Liu] would ‘steal’ him from me,” Ilzarbe said. Despite his initial worries, the three became part of the same larger friend group, something Ilzarbe now sees as a natural part of high school. One of Ilzarbe’s favorite memories with Fai came from seventh-grade science class, where the two created a rap for a class project.
Brooke St. John (Class I) believes many of her friendships evolved once people became more comfortable around each other. “My friend Whitney Palumbo (Class I) seemed really shy at first, but later revealed herself to be super outgoing and really funny,” St. John said. She also reflects on the first impression she made on her friends. “My friends always tell me that I seem very intimidating at first,” St. John said. As seniors look back on their middle school and freshman years, many describe a version of themselves that feels almost unrecognizable now. St. John recalls old TikToks, dress code restrictions, and the bright-colored Zara jeans from her middle school days.
Other friendships began through moments that were awkward at the time but became memorable as time wore on. Alex Cheng (Class I) recalled dropping an entire taco bowl in the Castle during the first days of middle school after bumping into another student. Justin Lee (Class I), whom he had only met days earlier, was nearby and stayed with him while he cleaned up. Looking back, Cheng says the moment reflected the kind of friend Lee would become. “[Lee is] definitely a very empathetic guy. He’s always there for you when you need him,” Cheng said.
Cheng also remembers noticing Ariel Rabinovich (Class I) because of his dramatic side part haircut. “It was hard to see one of his eyes, because his hair covered it. I was in math class with him during my sophomore year, and we sat next to each other. I didn’t really talk with him initially,” Cheng said. “When we did, I found that he’s actually a very talkative guy. He’s willing to talk with anyone and open up a conversation. You can tell that he actually wants to be there and talk with you.” Cheng notes that the biggest difference between his friends now and in freshman year is how much more confident everyone is.
Joya Wang (Class I) recalls funny memories of how she met her current best friends. “In our freshman year, Riya Jain’s (Class I) senior crush was my next-door neighbor. I heard about it and realized he was my neighbor. That’s how we first met,” Wang said. Wang mentions that the two have gotten much closer over the past four years. “I didn’t get to know her super well until we played squash together, so that’s when we got really close. I think we both changed a lot as people since freshman year, and as squash captains, we learned how to deal with hard situations,” Wang said.
Another one of her friendships began because of a rumor that Wang was dating someone she had never actually met. “Jacinta Wangari (Class I) came up to me because she thought I was dating this guy, but it was a complete rumor,” Wang said. She notes that these moments completely changed her relationship with people she had never spoken to before.
For some seniors, the moments they remember are not necessarily dramatic. “For me, it’s the small moments. I enjoy just hanging around with my friends and talking,” Bella Kong (Class I) said. Some friendships also form surprisingly late. “Catherine Curran (Class I) and I got really close during March Break this year. We knew each other before, but we definitely got a lot closer recently. Now we’re going to the same college,” Kong said.
Although the seniors interviewed recalled different stories, a common theme emerged: most friendships begin unexpectedly. They began through awkward conversations, orientation days, team practices, or repeated encounters that slowly evolved into friendships. While many seniors admitted they barely remember the exact moment some friendships started, they remember the feeling of finding people who eventually became important parts of their lives. “Now, I would call everyone in the grade my friends,” Ilzarbe said.
