Emily Campbell and Miki Kawano are two fourth year Commerce students. The pair met in first year and you could say that they have been inseparable ever since. It is rare not to find Emily and Miki laughing together, or repping Horseroom (#pointyourtoes).
But how did these two rays of sunshine get so close? Keep reading to find out!
Emily and Miki met for the first time in Gaels 101, a study session for first-year varsity athletes at Queen’s. They are both very athletic, Emily being a soccer player and Miki playing on the rugby team. One of Emily’s first memories of Miki is her being stressed one night and their first time talking being on their walk back to residence. The pair connected about their shared passion for sports, humour and the stresses associated with first year.
Emily: “In Commerce, everyone [seemed to be] using the words ‘foster’ and ‘allocate’ and [Miki and I] didn’t…”
Some would say that they met as a result of the happy coincidence that they were both studying Commerce. However, as Miki soon revealed, there was a little more planning involved. When asked about how they went from Gaels 101 acquaintances to friends, the pair just looked at each other laughing and said “The friendship story!”
Miki: “The day that I met you, I was like ‘Oh my god she’s so cool. And, I’m in first year and she’s in first year, so my goal is to be her best friend. Not like we’re two friends in a group of friends, like, I want her to be MY best friend.’”
*Emily laughs*
Miki: “I just remember thinking to myself ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes for us to be best friends’…I decided that I wanted to be closer with her than even her team mates.”
*more laugher from Emily*
Miki got Emily’s number and every so often, she would send her a message and ask to study together.
Miki: “I started off slow though, ‘cause I didn’t want to come off as weird.”
Emily: “You just slid right into my DMs.”
After studying together twice, Miki knew she had to change her strategy.
Miki: “It was very calculated. I knew studying wasn’t enough, we needed some inside jokes.”
Emily: “I had no idea of this was happening.” *they both laugh*
When it was pointed out that this seemed very structured, Miki agreed and said that she had had a long-term friendship plan (“With a SWOT analysis and everything!”) in the works. As part of her strategy, Miki knew that Emily liked Zoey 101, so she figured that watching it while studying together would bring them closer.
Miki: “Kind of like, ooouh we’re not actually studying, ha ha!”
*more laughing from Emily*
Miki: “Yeah, I was determined!”
The pair got close while studying for first semester midterms, with the stress of the experience bringing them closer together. After the accounting midterm, they decided to get food together. After getting sandwiches, Miki finally decided to try and get an invite to Emily’s room.
Miki: “We got sandwiches and I asked her if I could eat my sandwich in her room. She said yes and I was nervous, like omg I’m going into her room!”
*turns to Emily*
Miki: “Emily, do you remember what we talked about?”
Emily: “No.”
Miki: “Cause I do.”
*Emily laughs*
Miki: “[At first,] I didn’t know what to talk about ‘cause we were not studying.”
As time went on, they bonded by chatting about life, studying more and hanging out in each other’s rooms.
Miki: “After that hangout, I texted my other friend saying ‘I made a friend. I have acquired [Emily] as our friend and we are gonna go out for sushi.’”
Evidently, Emily had no idea that she was getting ‘friendship wheeled.’ From her perspective, she and Miki were friends, but it wasn’t planned.
Emily: “Yeah, she’s my friend, but I didn’t have the full seven year plan.”
Their friendship became quite close, to the point where they decided to sign a lease together in second year. In this house, the second stage of their friendship began. For those readers who do not know, Emily and Miki are the creators of the Instagram sensation Horseroom (@ho.rseroom).
Emily and Miki’s house had one room that they described as: “Just big enough to fit a horse!”
However, Horseroom was more than just a room, it was a community. A place with a light mood where one can share some jokes with friends.
Together: “A room that turned into a lifestyle.”
They recommend that any curious readers check out Horseroom (@ho.rseroom) for themselves, as it will take time and effort to fully understand what Horseroom offers.
Miki & Emily: “The best part is people actually talk about Horseroom. We actually have a brand. Miki and Emily together equals Horseroom.”
Looking back, Emily and Miki agree that what they appreciate most about their friendship is how well they understand each other. If one of them brings up an idea, it is guaranteed that the other person will fully back it.
Miki: “[I love] how loud you laugh when I speak, because it validates that I’m funny.”
Emily: “Every time we want to do something crazy, it’s not even crazy, it’s just okay. Like, are we going to put on a costume and go to Ale? Of course we are.”
One memorable costume was this past Halloween, when Miki and Emily dressed up as FRECs (engineering Orientation Week leaders) and put on full running attire in order to run around downtown finding all of their costume supplies.
One memorable story was on exchange when Emily nearly had to give Miki the Heimlich maneuver. They were originally planning a trip together with some of their other friends
Miki: “We were planning a trip together and she told me she was coming, but then told me she got a job, so she couldn’t come.”
Emily: “I had been applying for jobs, but I didn’t actually get a job. I just thought I’d make her really excited by telling her I was coming, and then take that away from her. Then, I booked my flights and told our other friends that I was coming, so I could surprise Miki. When I got there it was just around breakfast time, I just walked in and was like ‘hey.’”
Miki: “I choked on the food I was eating and started crying.”
Although these two have tons of memorable stories, they’ve also gone through a few tough times together – like both experiencing consecutive ACL injuries.
Miki: “Right as I got healthy from an ACL injury, Emily tore her ACL.”
They both shared the similar experiences of going through the same recovery process, supporting and motivating each other.
Miki: "It's really nice having someone who understands how badly you want to get back into playing sports."
Having initially met each other in Gaels 101 while playing on different sports teams, the pair see themselves as having come full circle. Now in fourth year, they both play on the Queen's Ultimate Frisbee team together.
As for the pair’s advice for making new friends and making genuine connections, Miki and Emily agree that while it can be uncomfortable to break the ice, the best thing to do is to put some effort into it. Since Emily and Miki bonded over their authenticity and genuine connection, the pair believes it is crucial to always be who you are.
Emily & Miki: “Don’t be afraid to be who you are, don’t be afraid to be weird or different. There are people that are like you. Also, don’t always assume that someone has already found their person.”
- Love, Human Crossing
p.s. If you are interested in learning more about how other Queen's alumni are doing...check out our friends at The Limestone Era. (They even feature the iconic Professor D. J. McConomy!)