Alexis and I have been good friends for the past few years. Through our high school activities such as marching band and steel band, we’ve had plenty of time to interact and get to know each other well. I had gotten to know Alexis as a kind and funny individual, who isn’t afraid to speak her mind in order to defend her views. This, however, was about the extent of our friendship – we would only really interact during these activities, as it was the one area where both of our lives overlapped. We belonged to very different social groups outside of band, and we didn’t really share any interests. The few interactions we did have outside of band were typically in the company of other band friends, so it wasn’t much different than how we interacted during school hours. I also saw her as being a much more outgoing individual than myself, as she seemed to effortlessly fit into any crowd.  Even though I knew we would both be going to Ohio State, much less living in the same building, I wasn’t sure that there would be any way for me to get to know her on the level that I know my much closer friend group.

When partners were being picked for this project, I decided to ask Alexis if she wanted to partner with me, mainly because I didn’t feel like I had any sort of relationship with any of the other Arts Scholars yet. I was fairly surprised when she said she wanted to have her picture be alone in a hallway, reading a book. This was a side of her I hadn’t seen before, a quieter, calmer, more intellectual side. This picture shows that she must appreciate the time she can have alone with her thoughts, something that I can relate to very well. Hopefully through our time in Arts Scholars together, we can learn even more about each other and grow our friendship.