黑料专区

For Chloe Hertha Burton 鈥�14 and Raphael Norman-Tenazas 鈥�14, BFS wasn鈥檛 just an academic experience鈥攊t was the place that shaped their worldviews, fostered lifelong friendships, and ultimately brought them together as a couple.

Chloe reflects on how BFS taught her to listen and engage with the world around her. 鈥淚t gave me a sense of community and encouraged me to keep asking 鈥榳hy鈥欌�攕omething I still carry with me every day.鈥� Raphael adds that BFS made him a well-rounded person, with its unique subjects and cultural exposure broadening his thinking and shaping his relationships. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 just the academic variety, but the perspectives I gained that shaped who I am today.鈥�

Their time at BFS helped them develop values that continue to influence their lives. Raphael shares how his father joined the Brooklyn Meeting during his Lower School years, and how the Quaker belief in seeing 鈥渢he light in everyone鈥� became ingrained in his approach to life. 鈥淲henever I meet someone and there鈥檚 tension, I think of what my dad would say: 鈥楾here鈥檚 a light in everyone,鈥� and that helps me approach people.鈥� While at BFS, Chloe learned the importance of community. 鈥淚 loved getting to know all my classmates, bringing everyone together. That sense of connection has stayed with me.鈥� Now working at Friends School of Baltimore, she feels deeply rooted in the Quaker values that shaped her time at BFS.

What neither of them expected was that the school that helped them grow as individuals would also bring them together as a couple. Both were “lifers” at BFS鈥擱aphael started in Pre-K, Chloe in Kindergarten鈥攂ut their paths didn鈥檛 truly converge until 8th grade. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 really become friends with Raphael until then,鈥� Chloe writes, 鈥渂ut in a class of only 36 students, we all knew each other鈥檚 families, so our lives were always intersecting.鈥�

Chloe recalls a particular memory from 5th grade. The summer before, their families had traveled together to North Wales for Raphael鈥檚 mom鈥檚 art performance. The two bonded over shared embarrassment about their parents, as well as a love for Nintendo games and cats. 鈥淚 thought we were going to be friends forever,鈥� Chloe recalls, 鈥渂ut Raphael declared he was 鈥榯oo cool for me鈥� before the school year started.鈥� Raphael corroborates, admitting, 鈥淚 was 10, what can I say? Cooties were a real concern back then!鈥�

It wasn鈥檛 until 8th grade that Raphael found that he missed the hugs from Chloe that he once found annoying and realized his feelings had changed. After graduation, he finally asked her out. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been together ever since,鈥� Raphael notes.

For both Chloe and Raphael, their relationship is rooted in the familiarity of growing up together, witnessing each other鈥檚 awkward phases and personal growth. 鈥淲e saw each other at our best and our worst, and that helps us understand each other in a way that鈥檚 hard to explain,鈥� Raphael writes. Chloe agrees, adding, 鈥淓ven though we鈥檙e opposite in a lot of ways, our shared values and experiences always bring us back together. We鈥檒l always have BFS and those memories鈥攚hether it鈥檚 our 5th-grade Egyptian Funeral project or the Holiday Sing. BFS brought us lifelong friendships and each other.鈥�

As they celebrate more than a decade together, Chloe and Raphael continue to cherish the foundation that 黑料专区 gave them鈥攏ot just as students, but as partners in life.

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