I met Mika in 2008 during our freshman year at UC Santa Barbara. We pledged the same sorority, Zeta Phi Beta, Sorority, Inc., in 2009, and the rest is history.

Summing up a 15+ year friendship is no easy task because no single moment defines our bond. It is the cumulative collection of laughs, tears, international travels, loved ones lost, new jobs, cross-country moves, heartbreaks, shared dreams, and goals abandoned that forge (present tense) an unbreakable friendship and sisterhood.

Mika has been there for every good and challenging moment in my life. I am blessed to call her my best friend, my sister, and now my maid of honor.

Shoutout to NEXTPHAZE who have all been along this wild ride called life!

I met Mandingo around 2000–2001 at Salesian High School, and from the jump we bonded over our love for music, especially hip hop. Countless hours of ciphers, battles, and NBA/NFL 2K1 on Dreamcast laid the foundation for what became a true brotherhood.

Few friendships are truly lifelong, but ours is one of them. From long conversations and philosophical debates to trips up to Berkeley for open mics, digging through crates of records at Rasputin’s and Amoeba, and grabbing pizza at Fat Slice, no friend has taught me more.

College took us to opposite ends of the country, but our friendship remained. It’s the cross-country trips, family reunions, being the best man at his wedding, and even traveling to Ghana together that continue to shape the bond we share today.

Mandingo has been there through every high and low, and I’m grateful to call him my brother for life.