Wally Jenkins
Wally is one of my oldest friends. We met in Kindergarten and have remained close over the last seventeen years. We have very similar personalities and passions. This is one of the reasons we have remained great friends, and it is also a reason we argue on just about everything. I love sports, but Wally's sports knowledge and passion greatly surpass mine. He has coached basketball at the high school level and has a natural mind for the game. Wally and I are both very competitive and willing to fight for our core beliefs until people tell us to shut up. Even though we don't always see eye to eye on everything, I know that Wally would defend me to the end. He is extremely loyal and trustworthy. One of my greatest memories of Wally happened our sophomore year of college. It was springtime and the weather had just started getting warm. Wally and I were procrastinating school work as usual, and he turns to me and says, "Let's go for a drive." I hate spur of the moment things. This is why Wally is such a great friend. He talks me into things I don't want to do, knowing that I will have a great time. We got in his jeep, rolled the windows down, and blared George Straight. We left campus and headed for River Road. We had no destination, we just wanted to get out of the house. We started driving down River Road and tried to solve the world's problems through conversation. An hour and a half later we came to a dead end. We knew how we had gotten there, but we had no idea where we were. I tend to panic when things like this happen. Wally said, "Dude, calm down let's just head back." We took a different route back and enjoyed the scenery. I pulled up maps on my phone and made sure that we were headed in the right direction. In the back of my mind I was unsure if we were ever going to make it home, but Wally's confidence put me at ease. We made it back to town about two hours later and watched some March Madness. This story might seem simple and forgettable, but it sums up our relationship. He forces me to get outside my comfort zone, and I make sure that he is thinking reasonably. Wally and I balance each other out successfully. We have fun, but not so much that we get in trouble.
Quinn Miller
This picture captures Quinn in his true element. He is always taking pictures, or doing something behind the scenes. Quinn is a graphic design master, and can do just about anything that involves technology. I have known Quinn since the third grade. He and I are very different, but we have always enjoyed each other. Quinn was my roommate my freshman year of college. We lived in an old apartment off College Drive. All of our neighbors were over the age of 60. This led to many noise complaints from our all night "study parties" and experimental cooking projects at three in the morning. Quinn is too nice. He is always willing to help anyone, and a lot of people ask him for it. This unselfish attitude has been a blessing for me to experience and taught me to think of others first. Another one of my favorite things about Quinn, is his ability to have fun doing anything. If he's bored he will find something for us to do. A friend of ours went on a mission trip to Brazil and brought both Quinn and me blowguns back as souvenirs. One night, very late, Quinn and I were bored. Quinn decided that we should set up targets around our apartment and make a game out of seeing which person could hit the most. This turned boredom into excitement and laughing for over an hour. Quinn is always there for me and has helped me get through some hard times in my life. He always helps me see the good in things, even when things look pretty bleak.
Evan Stenhouse
Everyone has that care-free, just roll with it, not a care in the world, friend. Mine is Evan. Evan is my oldest friend. We met when were three. Our moms set us up on play dates that neither of us remember. Evan is well traveled, a music encyclopedia, and just different. I feel that he has a good mix of Quinn's and Wally's qualities. He can be frightfully spontaneous, but he can also sit back and enjoy doing absolutely nothing. This guy could make a friend out of just about anyone. He treats everyone he meets as if he's known them for years. If Evan doesn't like you then you need to check yourself. Evan has few prejudices and accepts everyone for who they are. Evan is the youngest of four children and his siblings are considerably older than him. After all of his siblings moved off to college, Evan's parents traveled a lot. My parents saw Evan as anther son and were always willing to take care of him while his parents were away. Although Evan is older than me, he was a grade behind me all throughout school. We have the same major at LSU and I try to help him prepare for whatever he needs. Evan is bigger than me, older than me, and smarter than me, but I still see him as a little brother. Because Evan was so much younger than his siblings he was very independent. Evan never asks for help and never complains. During hurricane Gustav, Evan's mom was out of town and his dad was on call at the hospital. Evan was at his house with no power, very little food, and no one to talk to. Three days into the week long power outage he calls me and says, "Hey man there is zero food at my house. If I come help you do yard work will your parents feed me?" This is a ridiculous question!! My parents would have gladly fed and taken care of Evan for nothing. Evan never wants to burden others with his troubles because he loves them. Evan came to my house and ate about two days worth of food. My parents felt terrible that he hadn't come sooner. Evan reminds me that I have nothing to complain about. I have a great life, and all of my problems are nothing compared to other peoples. Evan gives me great perspective.
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