Chosen Family
These grads have held monthly sleepovers since their time at Mills in the early ’90s. The pandemic barely slowed them down. By Lila Goehring ’21
A
s students, Victoria Needham
of others: “Each of us called upon the
as a resuming student—a population of
Williams ’94 and Laura Sherman ’95 first
others in a way that brought about our
students over 23 years old. “I felt like
met early one morning as both waited to
highest good,” Laura reflected. A team
Mills wouldn’t be a place for me,” she
meet an advisor in Cowell Building. The
was born, and it has only grown stronger
said. “I thought, it’s in the city... a lot of
professor never showed, and a sudden
in the nearly 30 years since.
rich, young, blonde women go there.”
power outage left the two in complete
Their kinship is unlike most for rea-
But she came to find that Mills nurtured
darkness. It was then that Victoria pro-
sons beyond its longevity: They are each
students from all paths, ages, and hair
fessed her first words to Laura: “I think
12 years apart in age. They have gathered
colors. “I could fit in,” she realized.
we are supposed to be very good friends
for sleepovers every month for decades.
Still, the college experience is differ-
in this life.”
Their commitment to friendship itself is
ent for each resuming student, many of
fierce. And they found each other as Mills
whom must juggle work and family com-
tears upon recalling this moment. “I just
students. One destination, many paths pro-
mitments while in school. What resumers
felt safe with her,” Victoria said of Laura.
foundly defines their journey to each other
share is the same trait that has sustained
Both were still uncertain they would
and has kept them glued together ever
the Sisters’ friendship as long as it has,
find places to plug in as older students—
since. They call themselves “the Sisters.”
and that is intentionality. Upon her return
The two recently failed to hold back
Victoria had spent time working in the
“Some romantic relationships have an
to education, what Victoria needed was
fields of aging and affordable housing
end date,” Victoria said. “This does not.”
focus: “I’d never used a computer before,”
before coming to Mills, in addition to
she recalled. “I wanted no TV in my [dorm]
her full-time job throughout her college
Resumers and a “Traditional” Student
years. In the quiet moments before their
Coming back to school at Mills wasn’t
who were traditionally aged were still
Mills journeys came to life, Laura and
an easy decision for Victoria, especially
used to learning.”
raising her family; and Laura still held
room—I needed to really study, because I’d been away for so long, and all the students
Victoria seemingly fell out of the sky and into each other’s lives. The duo soon met Jennifer Williams ’95 (no relation), a traditional student who enrolled at Mills immediately after graduating from high school, in a communications class taught by Professor Nancy Burroughs (then known as Nancy Burroughs-Denhart). An in-class activity prompted students to discuss each other’s learning styles, and it was their differences—not just in age—that brought them together as much as similarities. “Just in case I hadn’t noticed before, people don’t think like me, they don’t write like me, they don’t move in the world like me,” Laura said. And there’s nothing like a group project to discover the strengths 12
M I L L S Q U A R T E R LY
From left: Victoria Needham Williams ’94, Jennifer Williams ’95, and Laura Sherman ’95.
