ABCs, 123s, and snack time: Kindergarten is a time for learning and playing. For Molly Allen and Emma Perino, it was also a chance to start a friendship that is continuing well into its second decade.
Allen and Perino met in kindergarten and attended the same school through eighth grade, at which point their friendship had been firmly cemented. After high school, it became time for each of them to choose what was next.
“I came to Illinois State University first and absolutely loved it,” said Allen. “I toured the campus and just fell in love with the atmosphere.”
Perino’s path to Illinois State was slightly different.
“I originally went to a community college in my hometown when I graduated high school,” she said. “I graduated the year Covid was happening, and I was undecided on what I wanted to major in at school.”
After Perino finished her general education classes at community college, what was once a joke between the two friends started to become a plan: “Molly and I had always joked about me coming to ISU and moving in with her. I decided to apply to see what would happen, and I got in. I moved to campus and started taking classes last fall.”
By that point, Allen was at home on campus and knew her friend would be, too.
“I knew ISU would be a good fit for Emma as well,” Allen said.
As in kindergarten, the friends are studying a very similar curriculum these days while they both major in Human Development and Family Science (HDFS) in the Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. It was suggested as a major to Allen after she expressed an interest in working with individuals with disabilities, and she shared her enthusiasm for the major with Perino.
“I absolutely love all of the professors,” said Allen. “I also really enjoy the course work. It’s all applicable to real life. It focuses on development and relationships, which is not only beneficial for my professional life, but for my personal life as well.”
“I was undecided on a major at first, and Molly suggested giving some HDFS classes a try to see if I liked them,” said Perino. It turned out to be a great fit, and Perino cites the friends she’s made in her major classes, along with her roommates, as some of the top reasons she has enjoyed her time at Illinois State.
Friendships that last as long as the one Allen and Perino share take special time and attention.
“The key to a long friendship is to be a true friend,” said Allen. “It is super important to communicate with each other and to be honest and genuine.”
Allen will graduate in December 2023, with plans to attend graduate school online while working full time at GBC Autism Services.
“As of now, I want to become a board-certified behavior analyst and continue to work with children with disabilities,” she said.
Perino will graduate in December 2024 with plans to eventually move to Tennessee and pursue a career as a child life specialist.
The two have no doubt their friendship will persevere after their time at Illinois State.
“I feel like the reason that Molly and I have been friends for so long is because we have always been real and vulnerable with each other,” said Perino. “We also communicate really well, which I think is really important in any friendship.”
Explore HDFS and the other majors in Family and Consumer Sciences.
