Rooted in Fairfax: Stories of Friendship That Grew Up Together
- alexis10428
- 18 minutes ago
- 9 min read
Do you remember what it felt like to start kindergarten? Did you walk in already knowing a few familiar faces, or were you brand new and didn't know a soul?
For many students, the friendships they formed from kindergarten through high school helped shape who they are today. Maybe it was the friend in kindergarten who let you sit with them on the bus, the classmate in fifth period who always had a smile on their face, or the teammate you met on the court or field in high school. The friends you meet in school have a way of sticking with you.
Some of those friendships became lifelong partnerships. Some turned into decades-long friend groups that still gather every year. Others influenced careers in medicine, education, and public service. And many came full circle, with alumni choosing to raise their own families in the same community that first brought them together.
For many alumni, FCPS was more than a place to learn math, science, or history. It was where they met the people who would grow up alongside them— in elementary classrooms and middle school hallways, on soccer fields and cheer sidelines, at orchestra concerts, student government meetings, and after-school clubs.
We’ve gathered friendship stories from several FCPS alumni that have lasted a lifetime. These are their stories, told in their own words.
Where It All Began: Elementary Roots
Abbey Arnett and Jessie Brocato graduated from Woodson High School in 2022. But the two have known each other since kindergarten, growing together through every stage of life, from elementary to middle and high school. The girls were fast friends, participating in Girl Scouts and serving on the board of Woodson’s afterschool club Buddies, their senior year.
“FCPS didn’t just bring us together once; it kept us together through every chapter of our lives and gave us countless shared experiences that shaped who we are today. Now, we’re both in college. We are in Buddies together here, and this May we will be graduating together, which feels incredibly special knowing how far we’ve come side by side,” Abbey said.
Kace Boland and Kyra West met on the first day of third grade at Belvedere Elementary School.
“She approached me and asked if I liked horses. I didn’t have much to say about horses, but upon realizing that she was a soccer player, I struck up a conversation about our shared favorite sport. Within a few short weeks, we were attached at the hip. As it turned out, Kyra lived in my neighborhood. We began playing for the same soccer team, attending the same summer camps, and even sharing babysitters over the summer,” Kace said.
They stayed friends through middle and high school, serving as delegates on the FCPS Student Advisory Council at Justice High School. From playing volleyball together to attending music festivals, the 2019 graduates said they weren’t surprised when they were voted “Best Best Friends” in their yearbook.
Today, Kyra lives in Madrid and works as a secondary teacher, while Kace finishes up her degree in clinical psychology. The two remain best friends to this day and say they often reflect on what an excellent example their FCPS teachers set for them as they embark on their own careers in education.
Megan Tamakloe Jeter and Jessica Kirkpatrick Miller are proud of their 35-year friendship. They met at London Towne Elementary School when they both participated in the Spanish Immersion class. Life took them in different directions during elementary school, but reunited them years later when they were both teachers at FCPS. They worked at the same school for a year, and then Megan taught Jessica’s children at her new school. Today, they teach at different schools but call each other almost every day.
“To this day, we remain best friends and have seen each other through many life events,” Megan said.
For Lorena Beltran, Sarah Naeher, Rebecca Jacobi and Rachel Shaw, 2016 graduates of George C. Marshall High School, their friendship began at Shrevewood Elementary School and stayed with them through 10 years in the same Girl Scout Troop, middle school and high school.
“We were always the ones planning something: trips, weekly hangouts, and (in high school marketing) teaming up on the most ridiculous projects. Even after living in different states and countries and going to different colleges, we’ve stayed a true core group. Now we’re all back in the DMV, and it feels really special to be in the same place again,” Lorena said.
On the Field, In the Stands, In the Classroom
For several alumni, their friendship was founded on the love for sports or other activities.
Kimberly Pham, Maggie DiGiulian, and Jasmine Turkson met at lacrosse tryouts for John R. Lewis High School.
Kimberly said she had never played sports in high school before and decided to try out at the last minute and never regretted it.
“Maggie stood out immediately. She was so bright and full of sunshine, and I was drawn to her right away. As the season went on, we worked hard, grew closer, and learned to love the sport together,” she said.
Kimberly said they met Jasmine when they tried out for field hockey.
“At a small high school, sports teams became families, especially when the teams themselves were small. We played field hockey and lacrosse together, spent lunch periods together, and were all involved in student government or class office. By junior and senior year, we were finally all on the same teams: varsity field hockey in the fall and varsity lacrosse in the spring,” she said.
The three have stayed close after graduating in 2019 and Maggie has moved across the country for work and Jasmine and Kimberly are attending grad school together at VCU.
For Anhthu Cung and Arusha Arif, their friendship formed over a love of science.
The two had been in the same school since seventh grade but formed their friendship in Ms. Loach’s Computer Science Class at Frost Middle School. They bonded over a t-shirt and a band.
“I saw that she was wearing a rock band t-shirt, and I told her that I liked their music too. I actually only liked their acoustic songs whereas she preferred their rock songs, a distinction that reflected our differences at the time, with her edgy style complete with Doc Martens and my style more colorful and frilly,” Anhthu said.
They paired up for class projects and Anhthu said she had fun working with Arusha.
“I felt from the beginning that we could count on each other, beyond helping each other with notes or a homework problem,” she said.
The two found more common ground in their academic pursuits and shared dreams of becoming doctors and their passion for social justice.
Today, the two are attending medical school together and still find time to play board games and watch romcoms in their free time.
Shriya Boppana and Shyanne Simonson met through a mutual friend at Herndon High School. Despite attending different high schools, Shriya at Herndon and Shyanne at Westfield and graduating a year apart, the two became fast friends.
“Because we were in the same county, we went to games together, dances together, graduations, big events together. Over time, we’ve grown into adults in the same Fairfax area because it's where we were raised and decided to both settle here. I was even a bridesmaid at her wedding,” Shriya said.
Class of 2020 graduates Gabriela Rivera and Maegan Warner met at a rivalry football game for their high schools, South Lakes and Langley High School in 2017. Despite attending different schools, they quickly became inseparable.
“We showed up for each other in every way, attending school dances, sporting events, and performances, from my South Lakes orchestra concerts to Maegan’s Langley choir concerts. Even though we attended different high schools, we were always able to lean on one another and stay close,” Gabriela said.
That support continued through college as each attended different universities. They talk every day and make it a priority to see each other whenever possible.
“I’m so grateful that FCPS brought us together and that our friendship has grown with us through every stage of life, from ages 15 to 24, and we're excited to enter our 9th year of friendship and continue to be friends for life,” Gabriela said.
When Friendship Turns Into Love
Sometimes friendship evolves into love over time. For two couples that shared their stories, this was the case.
Tyler Gordon and Jaelen Lockyer met their senior year at Chantilly High School in 2017. They had been attending the same school for years but never crossed paths. Two classes their senior year brought them together: math and tech theatre.
They began dating in 2018 and have been together ever since, recently celebrating eight years together and planning their wedding for 2026 or 2027.
For Philip and Maggie Wilkerson, their love story evolved over time, shaped as Philip said “by proximity, community, and a little Richmond Highway rivalry.”
Both grew up in Fairfax County and attended FCPS schools. In high school, they attended rival schools, Philip at Mount Vernon High School and Maggie at West Potomac High School. Philip calls it a modern-day Romeo and Juliet story, only instead of being rooted in family rivalry, it was rooted in school pride and overlapping social circles.
Despite crossing paths in 10th grade at the library, it wasn’t until the summer of 2003, after high school graduation that their connection truly began.
Maggie initially thought Philip was strange. But after word got to him about this, he was determined to protect his reputation. He struck up a conversation to change her mind. That conversation turned into daily phone calls, which turned into an unexpected friendship and later blossomed into love.
They have two children and continue to serve in the same community that first brought them together.
The Friend Groups That Never Broke
Some stories show that friendships once formed can stand the test of time. For Nisha Shendrikar and friends, Dyane (Kim) Bronson, Sangita Patel, Nandini Koka, and Gazal (Kolia) Modhera, that means 30 plus-years of friendship.
“These lovely ladies have continued to be the most valuable friendships I've ever had. I met Dyane in middle school (Luther Jackson) and over the years I can always depend on her to be there if I need someone to get me out of a funk or to make me do something out of my comfort zone including learning Judo or Pickleball. The other three ladies are my travel buddies and are always open to taking on new adventures in new locations. We've shared good times and bad times, births and deaths, and I wouldn't change a single minute of it all,” Nisha said.
The same goes for Maureen Boland, Suzy Follansbee Garter, Laura Belter Shannon, Julie Bruce Carbaugh, Melissa Coughlin Rothstein, Jennifer Briggs Ferguson and Laura Schimler Nachison, whose friendship group has been going strong for over 40 years.
Their friendship has surpassed school boundary changes, different schools, college, weddings, babies (they have 27 kids among them), aging parents, grown-up kids and time. They try every year to get the seven of them together because they know how important it is to keep their friendship strong.
FCPS: A Connector
Across generations, schools, and life stages, one thread runs through every story: connection.
From kindergarten classmates who are now college graduates, to rival high school students who built a family together, to Girl Scout troops that lasted decades, to teammates who became best friends for life. These alumni didn’t just attend Fairfax County Public Schools; they grew up together within it.
FCPS provided the classrooms, the fields, the clubs, and the spaces where curiosity was encouraged, and friendships could take root. But it was the shared experiences: the projects, practices, performances, and everyday moments that turned classmates into lifelong constants.
Even as these friends have attended college or moved away and carried their Fairfax roots across the world, they can trace it all back to the same place.
Because sometimes, the most important thing you gain from school isn’t just an education.
It’s the people who walk beside you for the rest of your life.
To stay up to date on all things FCPS, join the Educate Fairfax Alumni Network; https://fcpsalumni.nationbuilder.com
