Tina and Gen met at 18 when they both rushed KDChi at the University of Texas. She's been a constant through nearly every version of Gen. She is smart, thoughtful, and someone Gen looks up to. Their friendship has been shaped by talk of books, politics, identity, and life (and a hilarious Drinking Around The World challenge at EPCOT). She's the kind of friend where time can pass, life can change, and it still feels like home.

Leli is genuinely hilarious and endlessly herself. Gen has always admired her courage to be exactly who she is even when their personalities and styles couldn't be more different. One of Gen's keenest childhood memories is when 4-year-old Leli bravely ran back into their home to rescue Gen's favorite doll, Moses. Fun fact: they share matching tattoos.

Johana loves loud, Latin music, a good photoshoot, and basking in the sunshine. One of the clearest ways she shows love is through food. Whenever Gen comes home, Johana cooks the dishes Gen grew up with - macaroni elbows, corned beef with fries, bistec encebollado, and lots and lots of plantains. One of Gen's favorite memories with Johana is their trip to Amsterdam. They cried laughing lugging their suitcases up the teeny, tiny steps of their attic airbnb.

Gen met Delia at RELEX in 2022. What started as a work friendship became an almost daily exchange of memes, TikToks, and general shit talking. Delia is easy to be around and always has the perfect cat meme. She also makes great guacamole, loves concerts, and proudly embraces her inner emo (it was never just a phase, mom 🤘). She's a wine-lover, excellent gift-giver, and the kind of friend who promises hospital margaritas after childbirth. Fun fact: Gen and Delia's cats are half siblings!

Gen met Maiju when Maiju was a new hire at RELEX. Gen immediately liked her and decided to basically insert herself into Maiju's life - and it worked. Maiju is gentle, thoughtful, unfailingly kind, and has been around for many of Gen's big life changes. She loves long walks with her dog, Unto, and filling her home with books, music, and art. She has that chic, Scandi-girl vibe (even though Finland isn't technically part of Scandinavia).

Jenni was the first friend Gen made after moving to Finland and quickly became a trusted confidante. Gen loved the true candor in their long talks (AKA therapy sessions). Jenni is loud, bubbly, assertive, and has a great laugh. She's effortlessly cool - she can pull off 90s it-girl vintage, has a home full of plants, and can cycle 20 miles like it's nothing.