Amar: The very first time we spoke to each other was in the G-1 girls’ bathroom. It was sophomore year, and Annika walked in on me crying about my chemistry test. We were just about strangers at this point, but she hugged me and said something reassuring that made me laugh, and from that point I knew I wanted to be her friend.
Annika: I had moved to Berkeley from Australia that year, and when I came to Berkeley High School I was very out of my element. I didn’t know anyone, and a school as big as BHS was very overwhelming. But by some stroke of fate, Amar and I had the last three classes of every day together, and quickly became close friends.
We were both writers on the Jacket during sophomore year and shared loyalty to the Entertainment section; bonding over reality TV shows, recommending novels to one another, debating movie choices, and often making fun of the other’s (questionable) music tastes. We had so much fun as writers that we applied for entertainment editors, not-so-subtly hinting in our applications that we work well together. Much to our delight, we both got the role, and we set off towards the best two years of our Jacket careers.
Over countless iced dirty chais, mango green tea bobas, and thai iced teas, we paved our way through the Entertainment section; editing and re-editing, laying pages out, and often scrambling late at night to make sure everything was in order. We stayed sane by jotting down random ideas over texts, shared notes, and Google Docs. Our existing friendship helped ideas flow, and also meant we weren’t afraid to disagree. Latenight was much easier knowing that afterwards we would enjoy our weekly episode of “The Bachelor.”
Every decision made in our section has been a collaborative one, and was probably made tanning with boba in hand. Being an editor is undoubtedly a taxing job, but it would have been much harder without our foundation of friendship. Working on the paper every week, in the hours past dark, we cried together at times, but ultimately laughed together more, sharing the fondest memories in the Jacket room.
Morals of the story/pro tips from Amar and Annika:
Talk to strangers, meet new people
Shoot your shot, apply for the role YOU want
Drink as many iced dirty chais as possible
Eat noodles
Cry all the time (it’s okay!)
Don’t be afraid to disagree, even with your best friend
Try to enjoy this moment, and if not, enjoy the next moment
Keep the friends that turn your cries into laughs close to you