The speech-language pathology spring cohort of 1997 returned to TCU to celebrate their 25-year reunion. They created an unbreakable bond that’s carried on throughout the years. Here’s what they had to say about it.
Tell us about the friendships that you developed during grad school that still hold to this day?
Alissa: Oh man, there is so much to share. As an undergraduate at TCU, I made good friends and was pretty involved on campus. I thought graduate school would just be an extension of undergrad, but I was so wrong. The 10 of us in the cohort bonded immediately and found every excuse to hang out, study, eat breadsticks and survive grad school together. We were from many walks of life, but we loved each other and cared for each other like family.
At age 24, you have no idea how lucky you are; you are just living life and surviving until you get a “real job.” At nearly age 50 (for most of us), we are incredibly aware of how special it is to still have this kind of friendship 25 years later. All of us have lived a lot of life and are grateful to just be together again.
Korey: We developed the kind of friendships that have remained strong through distance, even when we don’t keep in touch regularly. You can just pick up where you left off. I think that is rare. These girls knew so much about my life then and walked with me through getting married, pregnancy and having my first baby. They were there for me with anything I needed then and I know I can share anything with them now, and they would be there for me again.
Nicole: All of us came from different backgrounds, cities, states and life experiences and had very different personalities. But we truly enjoyed each other’s company and made efforts to get together outside of school to study, just have fun and celebrate big life moments like weddings, baby showers and graduation dinners. I kept in better touch with some of us who stayed in the metroplex as we would run into each other at conferences, workshops or sometimes even the local coffee shop! When Alissa and Coleen contacted all of us in April 2022 about a possible 25-year reunion here in Fort Worth, I was more than happy to help out as one of the locals still in the area.
Lori: I felt a sense of closeness and acceptance from everyone in our class. They were the first group of women I had in my life by whom I truly felt accepted for who I was. We laughed so much when we were together and got along so well. These ladies helped get me through the stress of coursework, papers, internships and studying. Even though I haven’t seen everyone in several years, I feel the same sense of care and love from these amazing ladies. We are very different people, but I believe God brought us together for this special time in our lives.
Yuneska: I think it says a lot when 25 years later we all gathered from around the country to spend an entire weekend together. We were able to pick up right where we left off, as if we were still in grad school. The closeness, openness and friendships have all remained strong. I love all these women!
Coleen: We spent a lot of time together for two straight years. We all worked together, studied together and had fun together. When you go through a challenging program together, like graduate school, you bond and form friendships with your classmates. We supported each other through a difficult time. That’s something you treasure and don’t forget. Our children are getting older and so this season in life lends itself to allowing us to get together more often, not just for fun, but for our personal growth in seeing each other through our next phases in life as speech pathologists, as mothers, wives, and as women of God. We are all strong in our faith in God and know that God had brought us back together again. We are so blessed to be part of the TCU family.
