As another school year begins and students are meeting their randomly selected roommates for the first time, we feature the stories of 15 Bruins whose friendships have weathered the test of time, distance and busy lives, all because of what began at UCLA as perfect strangers.

Aly Yarris ’10 and Heather Manske ’10

I met Heather about ten minutes into my college career, having locked myself out of my room on the way to the communal shower in Dykstra. I was the weird girl in a bathrobe, and she was my helpful next door. We decided to be best friends one fateful night. At the time, we had separate majors and interests. We slowly but surely grew up, not just alongside of each other, but together. We both became history majors, I joined her sorority (Gamma Phi Beta), and Heather joined my student organization (SAA). We even spent our first year after UCLA living and working together. Eventually, we said goodbye to Los Angeles to pursue careers in education. Heather moved to St. Louis for Teach for America, and I moved to Philadelphia for graduate school. Now in San Francisco and Chicago, we have spent the last three years as long distance besties, constantly in contact thanks to the glories of the internet, cell phone technology and the old fashioned handwritten notes. A day doesn’t go by that I don’t thank UCLA for making this girl my freshman year neighbor and for giving us the four spirited, silly, ridiculous, embarrassing, spectacular and joyous years that will forever be the foundation for our lifelong friendship. True to thee our hearts will be, to the blue and to the gold!

Sarah Brack ’09 and Ashley Granda ’09

To this day, Ashley is my closest friend from UCLA. We lived together for one year and became great friends during that time. When I got my dorm assignment, I was very nervous about living with two girls I didn't know, especially in a tiny dorm room. We met for coffee to get to know each other before moving in. I learned that Ashley was a shy Orange County girl who wanted to join a sorority. I wasn't sure if we were going to get along. Through living together I quickly realized that Ashley is one of the sweetest, kindest and most loving people I have ever known. UCLA was a special time and Ashley was a huge part of my experience there.

Now, five years later, Ashley is one of the few people I have stayed in contact with, despite both moving away from California. She moved to Washington, and I moved to Scotland and then Uganda. Recently, I moved back to the U.S. and went to visit Ashley in Seattle. Ashley helped me get a job at World Vision and now we live together, work together and are better friends than we ever have been.

I am so grateful to UCLA Housing for placing us in the same room. They have given me a life-long friend. Someone I can have dance parties in the kitchen with, who I can cook delicious meals with and who I can go on adventures with. Someone who I can cry with, be real with and who I know will always support me, no matter what. I know we will be friends forever, and I am excited to see what the future holds for both of us.

Josh Yaghoubzadeh ’09, J.D. ’12 and Arya Sadeghi ’09, J.D. ’12

I was assigned to Delta Terrace for my first year as a transfer student. Even though we were transfer students, we were all nervous first year students. In an effort to meet one another, I rallied everyone in Delta Terrace Building 8 (B8) to head down to Covel for dinner. I met Arya at one of our first building dinner outings. We didn't know any of the same people other than those in our building. We were both Political Science majors and ended up in some classes together. Many a night was spent staying up late to study, typing papers or making study guides in the B8 lounge. We both had plans to take the LSAT and go to law school. Arya and I both chose UCLA Law School to pursue our J.D. and we lived together in graduate student housing our first year. As double degree Bruins, we survived law school and studied for the bar together. We've remained close friends ever since and most recently traveled to the UCLA-Texas game in Dallas with my two brothers, who are also UCLA alumni. Go Bruins!

Edgar Villasenor ’10 and Ignacio Delgado-Hernandez ’14

Ignacio Delgado-Hernandez and I were very unlikely to meet each other at UCLA had it not been for our fraternity, Nu Alpha Kappa. We were from different parts of California; Ignacio is a Napa Valley native and I’m a local Angeleno. Our initial interactions were not ones of instant friendship. NorCal vs. Socal, right? Unknowingly, we had very similar stories, which would eventually lead to our inseparable bond as brothers. We were taking on leadership roles in our fraternity when we learned about our similarities. Ignacio and I are both the first people in our families to attend a major university. We were also both eager to give back to our families and our communities. These motivations allowed us to create a sense of camaraderie, which allowed us to be a support system for each other in times of need, and of course, also a person to celebrate with during times of success. We were determined to drive each other by making the best out of our UCLA experience. To this day, we are still roommates after graduating in 2010 and most importantly, we are still family.

Heidi Hesmley ’09, Priscilla Crowe ’09, Jessie Gutierrez ’09, Aleen Sossikian ’09 and Amy Reid ’09

Priscilla Crowe and Jessie Gutierrez met at UCLA Orientation, which for transfer students is a one-day introduction to UCLA. Thanks to Priscilla's persistence, they both remained in contact until fall quarter. Priscilla and Heidi Hemsley met at Delta Terrace, where they were assigned as transfer students, and instantly became inseparable. Priscilla introduced Heidi to Jessie and Amy Reid who were roommates living off campus at the time. When moving from the dorms to the apartments, Amy and Jessie introduced Priscilla and Heidi to Aleen Sossikian as they were looking for an additional roommate. The five of us ended up being neighbors and best friends, sharing a love for all things UCLA. We are so thankful for UCLA for bringing us together. After graduating in 2009, our friendship has only grown stronger. We’re there for each other through the thick and thin. Every chance we get, we take advantage of the opportunity to get together for a UCLA tailgate or catching up at girls’ weekend. We have formed an inseparable bond, and it all started at the greatest place on earth, UCLA.

Andrew Lewis and Nicole Aponte ᾿11

As an avid tennis player, I was thrilled at the opportunity to become immersed in UCLA's deep tennis culture. UCLA has such an amazing tennis history with greats like Arthur Ashe. As a new student, I didn't know a single person at UCLA. However, I found myself quickly gravitating towards UCLA's tennis courts in search of a community of close friends. It was on those courts where I would find what would become a second home, as well as a lifelong friend in a fellow Bruin, Nicole Aponte. UCLA Club Tennis, especially Nicole, would quickly become my second family. As members of the Club Tennis team, Nicole and I would spend countless hours together traveling across the state and Southern California for various collegiate tournaments. It was during these trips that we established memories and a friendship that I will cherish forever. Following graduation, our friendship has continued to grow both on and off the courts, and I am truly thankful to UCLA for having brought such an incredible friend into my life.