Better Together is a feature that showcases students who make each better through leadership practices.

Journey Gobel & Lily Tadayon 

FEBRUARY BETTER TOGETHER

Two eighth graders, friends since the beginning of WYWLA, continue to see their friendship grow throughout middle school, let's hear their story...

Journey and I met in 6th grade when we first joined WYWLA. We quickly noticed that we had a few things in common, such as being on the shorter side and sharing a similar culture. We had many classes together and talked often, which helped us become good friends over time. Journey is incredibly kind, energetic, sweet, caring, smart, and overall an amazing friend. She is always considerate of others and readily offers help whenever someone needs it. We support each other not only in times of need but also in our personal growth, helping each other become better people and improving our skills. We've also discovered that writing together is a fun activity. When we work on a story, we make sure to review each other's work and provide feedback to help each other improve. We share a great sense of humor, often joking about being on the shorter side. Additionally, we both excel in certain subjects and think alike on many topics. Our mutual love for writing has led us to collaborate on a couple of stories together.

-Lily Tadayon 

We first met at the start of middle school, but we grew closer in 7th grade. It became a routine for us to hang out in GLC, where we would sit next to each other and chat about random things. We ate lunch together every day, and over time, our friendship deepened. We laughed at jokes that sometimes weren't even funny and braided each other’s hair. Lily is one of my closest friends. She’s smart and always willing to help me when I’m feeling slow. She’s caring, often offering me snacks when she has them. She’s loyal, standing by my side during tough times, hardworking, never gives up and always is her best self. Truly, she is the sweetest soul on earth. We always encourage each other when needed and help each other out during tough times. We lift each other up and never drag each other down. When one of us is feeling down, the other is empathetic and supportive. I feel like we share many of the same thoughts; we understand each other perfectly and basically know everything about one another. We both enjoy writing and are currently working on a few stories together. We have a great sense of humor and make each other laugh constantly. We may consider ourselves a bit slow or silly at times, but we know we are also smart and talented.

-Journey Gobel