BYU Alumni remain friends after 28 years
Best friends forever is a label people often give each other, but the friendship doesn't always last forever. That is not the case for two BYU alumni, Cheri Koford and Leslie Bates who have remained friends since they met at BYU 28 years ago.
Both friends currently live in Utah and are working at BYU. Koford is the Museum of Art's store manager and Bates works as a career director for the family, home, and social science college and the Kennedy Center at Career Services.
The two met in 1989 at New Student Orientation on campus. Koford was a Y-Group leader and Bates was a freshman, but they were not in the same group. One of Koford's friends was Bates' leader, but she gravitated towards Koford's group where they became friends and later became roommates. Listen below...
The two experienced a few funny coincidences in their lives. Before Koford and Bates became roommates, Koford met her husband in the summer of 1989 when he came over to her apartment to work on a BYUSA project with one of her roommates. Koford met him in the fall of 1989 in a child development class, so when Koford began dating him, she introduced him to Bates only to find out they already knew each other. They referred to themselves as twins because of a few experiences they had, including both of them showing up the day of this interview in white button-up shirts.
It wasn’t all fun and games for the two of them because they did have classes. Koford graduated in 1992 with a degree in political science and Bates graduated with an undergraduate degree in history in 1993, after transferring to the University of Utah. She did come back to BYU to get her graduate degree, but the two share some of their favorite and least favorite classes with a few laughs.
The Harold B. Lee Library on BYU's campus. (Photo by BYU Photo)
The two mentioned that they didn’t appreciate BYU as much as they wish they did as students. Bates recalled spending most nights in the library, joking there is probably a statue of her on the fourth floor and Koford said she probably had a little too much fun, making a joke about not knowing where the library was, but being back on campus working has really made them appreciate the time they had and now have at BYU.
As for advice, Koford said to say hello to everyone to get involved with your ward because of how helpful they can be. She also said to go on dates with everyone who asks. Bates piped in and jokingly said she would have gone on dates at if she had gotten asked out. She then said to study what you want to study and be passionate about it because employers look for passion. She also said to take advantage of the resources available to students on campus.
It is clear to see that these two had so much fun while at BYU and continue to have fun to this day. They still hang out often and they are very close with each other's family. Lifelong friends can be made here at BYU and these two are proving that with plenty of fun memories and laughs.
A Panasonic Personal Word Processor, similar to what Bates had in 1989. (Photo from ThePCMuseum.net)