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iology teacher Kathleen Morrow used group projects, jokes, and fun assignments to foster in-class interactions, but it was the students who ultimately made the difference. “Some students were very quiet at the beginning of the year, but they ended up becoming friends with more extroverted students,” Morrow said. “I love that about TJ. Extroverted students don’t just play together, they actually pull in the introverts and make friends with them.”
PIXELS TO
PEOPLE By Anuj Khemka, Aafreen Ali, Nathan Mo, & Annika Duneja
During the pandemic, sophomores Melissa Brown, Zumi Rieske, Ishara Shanmugasundaram, Medha Gupta, Yasmin Kudrati-Plummer, and Erin Chen (top left to bottom right) developed their relationships on Discord calls PHOTO// Zumi Rieske
Class of 2024 students carry friendships made through virtual platforms over to an in-person learning environment
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t first, for sophomore Ishara Shanmugasundaram, the person about to walk by her is just another face in a mask. There’s something familiar about their round glasses and the dark bangs, but Shanmugasundaram can’t pinpoint it. The person stops and stares at her for a second, and flashes a curious look. Then it clicks. It’s sophomore Melissa Brown, a once-virtual friend, forged through hours of Messenger chats and Discord calls. Shanmugasundaram and Brown have only seen each other on computer screens and smartphones, but as the pair move closer together, conversation rife with inside jokes spills out. And when they throw their heads back in laughter, they appear lifelong friends.
“I remember the first time I saw Mel in person, I did not recognize her at all, and I felt so stupid. But then after that, it was like, ‘I know this person so well, there’s no reason for me to feel awkward around you,’” Shanmugasundaram said.
First Meetings
Even after a year filled with gray icons and silent breakout rooms, students in the Class of 2024 found ways to connect with each other. Brown and Shanmugasundaram— along with fellow sophomores Medha Ghattu, Zumi Riekse, Yasmin Kudrati-Plummer, and Erin Chen — form a group of six friends who have their origins in the Class of 2024 Discord server. “I met all these people [through messaging them] and realized, ‘Wait, even though we’re online, I can still make friends,’ and we formed a friend group,” Kudrati-Plummer said. “We have good energy. We all
