Adventurous.
“I think that this is a really important word for our relationship,” said Big Sister Skye Fournier. Matched since December 2015, Big Sister Skye, a student at Boston College, and Little Sister Reynad of Quincy, have served as a support system for one another since day one.
“Even though we’re not necessarily from the same place, she understands me,” said Little Sister Rey. “I really love her for that.” Skye has always been there to provide Rey with compassion and support during times of adversity that Rey has faced. And to Rey, it’s this simple act of being present that has made all the difference.
Rey’s relationship with Skye gives her the space to just be a kid and relax when she’s around her Big Sister. Turns out, Skye feels the same way.
With the responsibilities of college courses weighing on her, Skye relishes the opportunity to feel like a kid again when she’s with Rey. “I’ve definitely become a lot more adventurous since being matched with Rey,” said Skye
“Even though we’re not necessarily from the same place, she understands me,” said Little Sister Rey. “I really love her for that.”
With fun and adventures as central themes of their relationship, Skye and Rey worked together to create their own “bucket list” of new activities they want to try. The trust that they’ve built with each other serves as the foundation for pushing themselves outside their comfort zone to learn and grow alongside one another. Below, Skye and Rey have mapped out activities that both inspire and scare them, like…
- Tie-dying: “We want to express ourselves through art, and we both think creating the tie-dyed shirts or other articles of clothing would be a really cool way to express it!”
- Inventing something.
- Swimming: “Rey thinks she is a better swimmer than me, so we are going to test this theory and go swimming at the pool in the Boston College athletic center!”
- Having a picnic on the Boston Common.
- Ice Skating: “One of our first events last year was ice skating, and neither of us were great at it – to say the least! We decided we want to give it another go in the future!”
- Trying every kind of ice cream at White Mountain Creamery: “We love ice cream!”
- And, eating more ice cream! “We really, really, really love ice cream.”
- Walking around the reservoir: “We have already crossed this one off our bucket list, but we plan on doing this again in the future. It’s a really beautiful walk, and is a peaceful place to talk, goof around, and of course, take LOTS of selfies!”
- Going out to dinner: “We have crossed this one off our bucket list already as well!”
- Shopping.
- Climbing a tree: “It seems like one of us is ALWAYS injured, so this goal is one that we hope to achieve by Skye’s senior year of college. Stay tuned!”
- Watching a Boston College girls’ basketball game: “Rey loves basketball! We have only watched the Boston College boys’ basketball team, so we think it would be fun to see some girl power, and be inspired by the female athletes.”
- Going to the Museum of Science.
- Raising caterpillars into butterflies: “We both love nature, and we think it would be a cool experience to watch caterpillars turn into butterflies over the course of a few months!”
- Learning all of the states and the U.S. state capitals.
- Learning about composting/recycling: Skye is an environmental studies major and Rey is interested in learning about where our waste goes. They hope to learn more about recycling and composting to make for a healthier environment!
- Making pottery using a pottery wheel.
- Volunteering: “We want to volunteer somewhere in Boston. Either at a food pantry, participating in environmental work, or lending a hand at a local homeless shelter. Rey has a passion for helping people in need, so we have been thinking about making care packages to deliver to those in the Boston area. We both think it is important to be involved in service and help those who need it.”
Skye and Rey’s past, present, and future adventures together will undoubtedly lead them to exciting accomplishments and experiences. However, simply being present with each other has the most meaningful impact. “Some of the best memories I have of us are just from hanging out and goofing around,” said Skye. “I couldn’t have said it better,” said Rey.
