In 1974, two young couples shared an apartment near Indiana State University while building their futures in Brazil, Indiana. What they couldn’t have known was that their friendship would span generations, eventually bringing their daughters and granddaughters to the same campus.
Today, first-year students Jenna Farris, an Elementary Education and Special Education major, and Aubrey Miller, a Communication Sciences and Disorders major, are roommates, best friends, and third-generation Sycamores.
Indiana State has connected their families from the beginning.
Jenna’s grandfather, David Mohr, attended Indiana State from 1973 to 1975 while completing pre-med requirements after serving in the U.S. Navy. Aubrey’s grandfather, Kenny Maurer, pursued packaging engineering while his wife, Jamie, studied business. The two couples lived together in 1974 and ’75, and although they eventually moved into separate homes, their friendship endured as they began their own families.
Their bond carried into the next generation. Aubrey’s mother, Keily Miller, and Jenna’s mother, Jennifer Farris, grew up as close friends, and both chose Indiana State. Keily earned her elementary education degree in 2000, and Jennifer earned her psychology degree in 2001 before completing an education specialist degree in school psychology in 2004.
“Looking back, college was, of course, about earning my degrees, but it was also about the people I met, the experiences I had, and the person I became along the way,” Jennifer says.
By the time Jenna and Aubrey were born, their families were already intertwined. Keily remembers visiting the hospital the day Jenna was born and taking photos of the girls lying side by side. Aubrey was just two months old. They were destined to become best friends.
Raised in Brazil, both girls grew up hearing stories about Indiana State. Aubrey remembers Saturday evenings after dinner in Terre Haute, when her parents would drive her and her sister through campus, telling stories about their own years there. Her father, Chad, had earned a degree in business management in 2000.
“They would tell my sister and me about how they got a good education at Indiana State, so I always thought Indiana State had a very nice, safe, and good-sized campus,” Aubrey says. Her sister, Halle, is a current elementary education major. “From a young age, I knew I wanted to stay close to home for school. I am very close with my family, and I couldn’t picture my life without them being close by. Being only 25 minutes away gives me a lot of comfort.”
The decision became even easier when both students were named Presidential Scholars.
“I felt so honored becoming a Presidential Scholar since the scholarship is so competitive. I think the joy and surprise that ran through my body that day [receiving the scholarship] is something I’ll remember forever! I feel even more blessed being able to do it all with my best friend,” Aubrey shares.
Jenna echoes her friend. “When Aubrey and I were awarded the Presidential Scholarship, we would have never imagined the benefits and blessings it would’ve brought us. Getting this award took hard work and dedication, but in the end, it all paid off.” Both are also members of the Honors College. “We are so lucky to be able to go through this experience together alongside the help of our Honors College staff and our generous President!”
Now, Jenna and Aubrey are creating their own Indiana State stories and finding even more opportunities to get involved on campus. Jenna has joined the Spirit Squad cheerleading team.
“I love everything about the Spirit Squad,” she says. “In such a short time, I have already built close friendships with my team, and performing with them is one of my favorite things ever!”
Jenna realized she loved special education during an education internship in high school. While at Indiana State, she’s excited to learn different techniques she can use in her future classroom. She adds, “My mom was the one who helped me realize my true love for teaching and a passion for helping students with disabilities.”
Aubrey also found her path through a high school speech-language pathology internship, an experience that inspired her to pursue communication sciences and disorders with a minor in early childhood education. She hopes to earn a master’s degree in speech-language pathology and work in an elementary school. She has also joined the Alpha Phi sorority.
“I’m extremely excited to be involved with Alpha Phi and all they represent for our university. It will be a great way to be involved on campus and give back to the community,” Aubrey says.
Faculty and staff have made the transition to college easier than Aubrey expected. “All of the staff and professors have been very welcoming and have gone out of their way to be helpful,” she says. “I think it’s impressive how involved our faculty, especially President Godard, is in our university. They all truly seem to enjoy what they do, enjoy being around the students, and getting to know the students outside of class.”
For two students who grew up hearing stories about Indiana State, attending the university themselves feels a little surreal.
“I am making my own memories in the same places my family did, which is crazy to think about!” says Jenna, whose aunt and uncle also attended Indiana State and her brother, Jackson, is a current construction management student.
Aubrey feels that same sense of connection. “It makes me feel proud to know I’m walking through some of the same hallways and taking some of the same classes that my parents or grandparents took.”
Their mothers are cheering Jenna and Aubrey on from a distance, and from the other end of the phone.
“I love getting phone calls from Aubrey and Jenna and hearing them laugh hysterically about a dining hall experience, a new food creation they’ve come up with, or just the crazy things they do to try to navigate through adult life together on their own,” Keily shares. “When we hang up from our phone calls, I hear them both say, ‘I love you, Mom!’ I love knowing that they’re both happy and are having a wonderful and successful Sycamore experience.”
Jennifer adds, “I couldn’t ask for a better friend or roommate for Jenna than Aubrey. It is truly a blessing to see two wonderful young women supporting, encouraging, and making memories with each other.”
All of it comes back to what it means to be a Sycamore. Keily says, “To me, Sycamore pride means being proud of getting the opportunity to attend Indiana State and utilizing the education that you receive while you’re there.”
For Aubrey, it’s about carrying that education forward. “I think that Sycamore pride is to represent our university with diligence and kindness. Indiana State is teaching us how to be the best versions of ourselves and how to give back to where we came from and our community.”
More than 50 years ago, two families built a friendship that would span generations. Today, their granddaughters room together at Indiana State, continuing a three-generation Sycamore tradition while going all in on the next chapter of a story that began long before either of them was born.
