Gabrielle Truax - Final Photo Essay

Rita and Jonita: a Friendship

I met Rita Zoumbatlis and Jonita Wilson in my Communication in Culture class this semester at Cornerstone University where they are both freshmen. Jonita is majoring in Christian Ministry, and Rita is majoring in Journalism. They are international students; Jonita is from Aiyura, in the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea where her parents are missionaries, and Rita is from Cairo, Egypt. They were assigned as roommates and met each other the day of international orientation when they moved into their dorm. They also have a third roommate, Stefanie Sherman, who they are good friends with too. All three of them have many of the same friends and hang out a lot. Being around Rita and Jonita, it’s clear to see their love and care for each other as friends, and it draws people to them and inspires others.

Chasing each other across one of Cornerstone's lawns, Jonita, right, and Rita, left, take time to enjoy the warm weather on a Sunday afternoon near the end of April.

Rita, left, and Jonita, right, share a picnic dinner together with their friends on Cornerstone's campus.

In the cafeteria at Cornerstone, Rita and Jonita share laughs and a meal together at dinner time.

Rita and Jonita show their silly side, spontaneously making funny faces for the camera.

In Communication in Culture 112, Rita and Jonita prepare to take notes on the next speech that is about to be given by a classmate.

In their dorm room, the two girls do some work on their laptops.

Rita, left, and Jonita, right, smile for the camera in front of Rita's map of the world where every person who comes into the girls' dorm can draw on heart on their homeland.