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College is where many people meet lifelong friends—connections that shape lives just as powerfully as any class or career opportunity. For Christina Fisher and Demmi Ramos, that bond began early and only grew stronger with each shared challenge, success and inside joke.

The two met during their first year at a retreat with the Honors Academy (now part of the Fritz Honors College) at South Mountain State Park.

“Dr. Stiff basically forced us to become friends,” Christina laughed. “I remember we had to share ‘fun facts’ during the introductions, and Demmi had two dogs and almost died on a rafting trip in Florida.”

Demmi didn’t remember Christina’s fun facts but recalled, “I just thought, ‘This person looks cool,’ and decided this is who I want to be my best friend.”

They bonded during a long hike, commiserating over feeling out of shape and an old injury that re-emerged out on the trail.

“I’d stepped on a piece of glass a few months before the retreat, and it hadn’t healed properly,” Demmi shared. “I was limping and hopping on one foot through most of the hike. Christina was by my side to make sure I didn’t fall face-first into rocks or tumble off the side of the mountain.”

That early gesture set the tone: constant support, steady encouragement and a deepening trust.

Since then, they’ve shared big wins and small moments alike. Together, they helped lead the AeroBears to two years of high-profile success, presented at the North Carolina Academy of Science’s annual meeting as both juniors and seniors, and earned competitive scholarships that placed them among Lenoir-Rhyne’s most visible student ambassadors for the sciences.

“Christina and Demmi? Those two are going to change the world,” said their friend Diego Sanjuan ’24, M.A. ’26, who served as Student Government Association president and now works as coordinator of alumni engagement.

Demmi’s enthusiasm for campus involvement often brought new adventures into Christina’s orbit. From student organizations to the rocket team to Chi Beta Phi science honor society, they found ways to lift each other up while diving into academics, leadership and service.

One of the more memorable chapters involved snowboarding.

“We’d tried it before, on a trip with the Outdoor Adventure Club to Sugar Mountain. One run took me three hours,” said Christina. “But when the university offered a snowboarding class, Demmi spent two years trying to convince me to take it. It was a rare opportunity to do something fun together as a class, so I finally agreed.”

“In the class, we learned you can’t be afraid to fall,” Christina continued. “That was a redemption arc for me.”

That lesson—about falling and getting back up—resonated far beyond the slopes. In the classroom and in their careers, the pair have encouraged each other to reach higher, apply for the big scholarships, take risks and go after what seemed out of reach.

“We’ve always had productive study sessions,” said Demmi. “It’s nice to have someone who understands your goal and the mindset and drive to get the most out of academics. We collaborate and proofread each other’s work and encourage each other to take risks and achieve more.”

That support has already borne fruit. In fall 2025, Demmi will begin a Ph.D. program in geosciences as one of 50 students in Florida selected for the McKnight Doctoral Fellowship, which covers tuition and includes a stipend for living expenses.

Meanwhile, Christina spent the summer at Washington State University in a U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service Lab (USDA-ARS) studying beneficial bacteria to help control wheat disease. This fall brings another milestone: a placement in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Science Undergraduate Laboratory Internship program at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

“It has been a dream of mine to work for a national lab,” she said.

Though they won’t see each other on campus anymore, the bond they’ve built is one that distance won’t break.

“I’m going to miss the way we sync up to say the same thing or laugh at the exact same time,” said Christina.

But the world is built for staying connected, and the next chapter is already underway. With research paths that align—environmental and climate science for Demmi and microbiology and soil studies for Christina—this team may very well collaborate again down the line.