Sarah Shorter, left, and Jessica Pidgeon became best friends through the MSW program at BCSSW. Photo by Antonella Achille.
Jessica Pidgeon and Sarah Shorter met as roommates at the Boston College School of Social Work’s new student Summit in fall 2024.
Two years later, late-night talks, shared laughs, and constant check-ins have turned a chance pairing into a close friendship built on mutual support, reflecting BCSSW’s focus on "Accompaniment in Action."
We asked Pidgeon and Shorter to discuss their friendship and what’s next after graduation.
How did you two first meet?
Sarah: We met at the new student Summit at the very beginning of our program in fall 2024. We’d been in school for maybe two weeks. I got there early, checked in, and Teresa Schirmer, associate dean of student experience, told me my roommate was Jessica Pidgeon. I was like, “Okay, I’ve never heard of this girl.” And she was like, “You never know, she could become your new best friend.” Which is crazy, because here we are now.
Jessica: I showed up late and stressed because I was still working part-time at my old job. I remember thinking, “My roommate is going to think I’m a disaster.”
Sarah: But that first night we stayed up talking for hours about life. That’s really where it started.
What were you talking about so deep into the night?
Jessica: We figured out we’d both been high-level athletes. Sarah was a figure skater and I was a distance runner. We started talking about sports culture, how young women are raised in athletics, how that shaped our college experiences.
Sarah: I remember being surprised by how much we had in common, but also how interesting it was that we’d come from such different experiences.
Jessica: I kept having moments where Sarah would say something and I’d think, “Wait, that’s exactly what I was thinking.” I remember leaving that conversation feeling like, “This girl is so cool.”
What were your first impressions of each other?
Sarah: My first impression was honestly: “This girl needs to relax.”
Jessica: Fair.
Sarah: Not in a bad way. Jess came in stressed and hustling and trying to do everything perfectly. But she was also super warm and easy to talk to.
Jessica: My first impression of Sarah was that she was calm, which was exactly what I needed. We ended up downstairs playing games with everyone until, like, two in the morning.
Did you know right away this was going to become such a close friendship?
Jessica: Not immediately. I remember going home after the retreat and telling my roommates, “I met this really cool girl. I hope we stay in touch.” But grad school is chaotic, and we didn’t even have classes together at first.
Sarah: We actually didn’t have a class together until our second year. So in the beginning it was more like random encounters—seeing each other at lunch events, running into each other in the hallway, texting occasionally.
Jessica: Then over time it became, “Oh wait, this is a real friendship.”
Sarah: By the summer between our two years, we were spending more time together outside of school. And then it was like, “Oh. We’re friend-friends.”
What do you do together outside of school?
Jessica: What don’t we do? Sarah is the person I can text and say, “Hey, there’s a random comedy show tonight,” or “Want to go on a bike ride?” or “We got free Red Sox tickets,” and she’s immediately down.
Sarah: I texted her at, like, two in the morning recently asking if she wanted to go get free food at a campus event the next day. With some friends, I’m like, “Oh, I don’t know if they want to do this weird free event,” but Jess is my go-to girl. She’ll always consider the activity.
A text message exchange between Jessica and Sarah.
How do you show up for each other when things get hard?
Jessica: We really bonded during the “in the trenches” part of grad school. We’d be texting at one in the morning about papers or difficult field days or feeling overwhelmed.
Sarah: Or just needing motivation to get through it.
Jessica: And I think we’re both really good at encouraging each other, even if we don’t always take our own advice.
Sarah: I’ve been going through this intense job interview process and Jess is so kind and will remember and text, “Good luck with the interview.” That kind of thing means a lot in a friendship—just knowing that someone’s thinking about you and taking time out of their day to reach out.
Jessica: I know that if I’m stressed about a paper or if I had a hard day in field, I can text Sarah and she’ll know exactly what to say to comfort me or put things in perspective. Like, “You’re not a horrible therapist. Your clients are going to be fine.”
What does accompaniment look like in your friendship?
Jessica: I think we really do accompany each other through life now, both inside and outside of school. At first we were mostly talking about papers and school stress, but now Sarah literally knows everything about me. Our friendship makes me feel like I can do more things and take more action because I know I have someone by my side backing me.
Sarah: Sometimes, a friendship goes beyond just friendship. A few weeks ago we went to cheer on friends running the Boston Marathon. I’d never met Jess’s friend before, but I was still like, “What’s her name? How can I cheer for her?” When it comes to accompaniment, it’s so important to care for the person and the people around them and the places that person walks.
You’re graduating now. What happens next?
Sarah: Pending logistics, we’re planning on being roommates next year.
Jessica: Back to rooming—but long-term.
Sarah: Beyond that, though, Jessica’s been super supportive of me and my job search and I hope she felt supported by me in hers. I think it’ll be really cool to see our friendship change as we leave school and experience more of the fun friendship things that sometimes feel pushed aside in the chaos of papers and exams.
Jessica: Sarah’s crushing the job search right now. She’s gonna land a great job wherever it is. I’m staying in Boston and working at Renfrew in an eating disorder intensive outpatient program. I eventually want to combine eating disorder work with athletics and athlete mental health.
How has your friendship changed over the last two years?
Sarah: I feel like Jess and I have shown up for each other in positive moments and more challenging moments. Jess celebrated my birthday with me last year. And she supported me when I had some losses in my family. I also coach a college-level club skating team and Jess literally watches the live stream on Peacock. I feel very fortunate to have a friend who cares about me beyond the BC sphere. That’s what’s created this new foundation for our friendship beyond the original summit.
Jessica: I totally agree. I love learning about figure skating and it’s been cool for Sarah to ask me questions about my running history and meet some of my friends outside of school. I think being roommates will only enable our friendship to blossom further.
What advice would you give incoming students who want to find their people in the program?
Sarah: Go to things. Seriously. Even if you’re uncomfortable. Even if you’re tired. Even if you only go because there’s free food.
Jessica: Especially if there’s free food.
Sarah: Also: go to the Summit.
Jessica: Yes. Absolutely go to the Summit.