Jackie Vasquez and Maria Hernandez are two Raider seniors that have been besties since the seventh grade. Everyone on campus is aware of the strong bond they share that the two even won the senior superlative “Best Friends.”

They go way back, with Hernandez meeting her current best friend on her first day at Blackstock Junior High School after moving from Chicago to Oxnard. Vasquez didn’t know anyone until Hernandez came and took her under her wing.

The first time the girls met was when they were in line for social studies class. Hernandez remembered Vasquez being “a nice, pretty girl.”

Hernandez immediately noticed that Vasquez was new to Blackstock, so she approached her and asked if she wanted to hang out.

Hernandez was Vasquez’s very first friend in south Oxnard. In seventh grade, they remained friends until eighth grade, when they ended up disliking each other.

“I don’t even know why we hated each other,” said Hernandez, “but we got super close our freshman year.”

They celebrated their first National Best Friends Day together with movies and ice cream.

The two have the same order at restaurants. Their favorite ice cream is cotton candy topped with crushed Oreos and marshmallows.

The two have created many amazing high school memories like sharing clothes, going to Homecoming, Prom, and Glow Dance together, shopping, making up code names for boys, and even trying out for squads as freshmen. Now that both seniors have their driver’s license, they love to explore Los Angeles together. Hernandez even clears her schedule so she can see Vasquez’s dance performances.

One funny memory that they share was when they had Mr. Colvin for fifth period.

“He hated us,” said Vasquez when recalling the moment in which one student recorded the bell and everyone laughed, thinking that it rang. Mr. Colvin would run so fast after the bell rang and everyone would laugh when he would rush by.

Vasquez describes her best friend as a “very trustworthy and caring person.”

The two best friends always FaceTime before going to sleep. They have even traveled to Las Vegas with each other’s families.

“We even had our own separate hotel room from Maria’s parents,” Vasquez said.

The girls were in their hotel room when a funny incident occurred – Vasquez had braces at the time, and when they were playing around, Vasquez got stuck to the sheets during a pillow fight. It took about an hour to get her unstuck.

Hernandez describes her best friend as “ambitious and determined.”

“She never fails to let herself down, she is not scared of anything, and she has a beautiful future ahead of her because got accepted into her dream school,” said Hernandez.

Although Vasquez will be leaving to Florida for college, she will always cherish her friendship with Hernandez.

“Even after not seeing each other, we will continue where we left off,” said Vasquez.

Hernandez says her first year in college will be difficult, especially since she will not be seeing Vasquez as often.

“Even if we grow further apart or get a new best friend,” Hernandez said, “she’s always going to have a home with me.”

Flor Gutierrez, close friend of the two seniors, says Hernandez and Vasquez “are just like sisters – they annoy each other, but they still get along.”