Friends For Life

The question for the Da Vinci community: Who is your best friend and why?

The students and staff of all three Da Vinci schools were asked a series of questions about their best friends. 

Why is friendship so important, some may ask. Friendship provides fun adventures, a person to tell all your secrets and silly jokes to, and someone to share your interests with. While those are all great, the most important part is getting to have a support system. Getting to experience the wonders of life together. Not only sharing your humor, but sharing your wounds. Being able to feel connected to the ones you love because of shared interests.

Hi I’m Josh, I’m a twelfth grader and I attend Da Vinci Communications. 

 [Milan] Do you have a best friend and if so, who?

Yeah, my best friend’s name is Reign Brown, Reign Elizabeth Brown.

[Milan] Why do you love and appreciate her?

I appreciate how understanding she is and how easy it is to communicate with her.

[Milan] And how long have you guys been friends? 

Like around a year? Well, I mean, we’ve known each other for about a year, then we became friends so honestly like the beginning of this year.

[Milan] And why do you think your guys’ friendship has lasted so long?

I think [it’s because] we have similar interests and we’ve gone through similar things in life so it makes it easier to get along with her and understand her.

 – Josh Dorantes, 17, Senior

My name is Caleb Ortiz. I’m a tenth grader at Da Vinci Communications. 

[Milan] Okay, and do you have a best friend and if so who? 

Alright yeah, my best friend is Ryan Rodriguez. 

[Milan] And what makes you love and appreciate him? 

 He’s just– a kind person. He’s always been there for me through hard times.

[Milan] How long have you guys been friends? 

For about a year and a half? 

[Milan] And how did you guys meet? 

Funny story, we were in Ms.Carrillo’s class and we were talking about [the] singer Olivia Rodrigo and we both thought that she was bad. So that’s why, that’s how we met and became friends.

[Milan] Why do you think your friendship has lasted so long? 

I think because we’re kind of like the opposite people. Opposites attract you know. 

–Caleb Ortiz, 15, Sophomore 

“Within my group of friends, I think we work so well together because of how much we trust each other and how many interests we have in common” – Okikioluwa Ogunnaike

Friendships are different for everyone. Maybe they start from having the same interests or last from being polar opposites. Don’t get stuck on the fact you and a friend dont like the same songs or don’t have the same style, that is what makes you perfect for each other. Caleb said it best, opposites attract.

Hi, I’m Wendole Dafney. I’m the Campus Safety Officer for all three schools here at Da Vinci.– 

[Milan] Do you have a best friend? And if so, who?

 I have multiple best friends. But in this particular case, yeah, I had a best friend. His name was Curtis Lowe. We were friends for a very long time and when I was young, I was going through a couple of things as a child and him and his mother and his family was there to kind of uplift me and help bring me in and kind of get me through some of my rough times I was going through in life.

A big part of friendships is going through experiences together. Windell and Curtis were there for each other during hardships and bonded through their struggles, coming out abundant together in the end. I feel that is what makes the best and strongest relationships.

[Milan] And how long had you guys been friends?

Over 25 years.

[Milan]  And how’d you meet? 

Second grade, we had a fight [laughter]. I’m being honest, in second grade we had a fight and after the fight, we end up shaking hands and we’ve been friends ever since.

“– knowing that sometimes you might not hear from your friend every single day, but the bond that you guys built throughout the year should know that even though you don’t speak every day, your friendship is still tight.” -Wendole Dafney

[Milan] Last question. Do you have any advice for people struggling with relationships or friendships?

Yes, respect boundaries, respect each other’s space. Always communicate and ask questions. Sometimes it is difficult questions but still ask. That way you can get a feel of what your friend might be going through that they didn’t discuss with you. 

– Windell Daphne, 36

“The main thing I love about my friends is the fact we can always find a way to make each other laugh no matter the situation.” -Catherine Arenas

There is a wide belief that the longer the friendship the better. I believe based on the stories we got from the Da Vinci community we can debunk that. The way to keep a friendship alive is by setting and respecting boundaries, being there when it is most needed, and getting the chance to experience life together, through the good and bad. We are all human and we all make mistakes. We are all still young and trying to comprehend how to express and understand not only our feelings but ourselves and through that process we forget to thank the most important part that helped us get there and stay there, our best friends. Communication is one of the most important factors to a relationship and the older we get and the busier, the harder it is to do so. I want you to accomplish one thing today, go tell your best friend–or best friends–how much you love and appreciate them. It’ll put a smile on not only their face but yours too!