VCU news

By Leila Ugincius

In the summer of 2022, Iman Sikandar and Samantha Mendoza-Hernandez didn’t know each other, but they had two things in common: Both were rising freshmen at Virginia Commonwealth University, and neither had a roommate as the housing application deadline rapidly approached.

“I was too scared to go the random selection route because I had only heard horror stories about doing that,” said Iman, an information systems major.

Eventually, though, she gave up — she was busy readying for a monthlong trip to Pakistan.

“I reluctantly decided to go with random selection and crossed my fingers,” Iman said.

A few days later, she learned of her three assigned suitemates at West Grace Student Housing — South. And during her overseas trip, Iman discovered that of the three, she would be rooming with Samantha Mendoza-Hernandez, a double-major in political science and international studies. They got in touch, but the cell service in Pakistan was so choppy, the conversations were short.

“For the most part, I was really meeting her for the first time when she moved in,” Samantha said of Iman. “I moved in first, and there was about a day or two in between my settling in and her arrival. I’ll admit I was kind of nervous having a totally random roommate that would be sleeping 6 feet away from me for the rest of the year.”

But as classes started, they settled in and, little by little, familiarized themselves with each other. Iman, who didn’t know anyone on campus, met some of Samantha’s friends, and they all eventually became a friend group.

The two grew closer during their nightly, post-hangout debrief sessions. They would analyze and laugh and bond over all of their observations from the night.

“In all honesty, I cannot pinpoint the exact moment where I just knew we were more than roommates,” Samantha said. “I would say there was a gradual build-up to when our friendship fully blossomed. I think it also helped that we would go out and get food together, run errands and other day-to-day things where we had no choice but to get to know each other better. For me, I feel like there was a brief time of awkwardness just like with getting to know anyone else for the first time, but very soon after, we just understood each other.”

What cemented their friendship, ironically, was a falling out they had that October. Iman had emotionally hurt Samantha terribly but, in the midst of not talking to her, realized how much she missed her.

“I realized just how important she is to me and [that] I needed to do anything and everything in my power to make it up to her,” Iman said. “When we talked it out is when our friendship strengthened as we came to a mutual understanding and agreement to never let that happen again. But it was almost losing her that made me realize I don’t know what I would do without her.”

Normally in such a situation, Samantha would have cut the person who hurt her out of her life, she said.

“But knowing the friendship we had and the bond we built, that was not a feasible option for me,” Samantha said. “And right after everything had happened, I was touched by how hard she fought to patch things up and keep our friendship. To have someone you love use the love they have for you to fight for you was a different feeling altogether. After having a moment like that where both of us grew so much for the better and for each other, I knew this was the girl I’d share my girlhood with.”

Their bond grew stronger as the semester progressed.

“Now … we’re more sisters than we are best friends,” Iman said. “We’ve shared many fond memories and pivotal moments with each other and have been at each other’s sides through thick and thin. I love her endlessly and am forever grateful to the universe for putting us in each other’s lives the way it did. She’s truly my invisible string.” 

Samantha wouldn’t trade their “sisterhood” for the world, she said. “I learned so much more about what it means to love someone in this light.”