Making lifelong friends has been a common occurrence at Trevecca for many decades, but three graduates from the class of 2014 are proof that it’s also a place where existing friendships become deeper and stronger.
Sarah Comer, Kelsey Crum and Jenna Morvay were all familiar with Trevecca and the Church of the Nazarene from a young age. The trio first met as young children at Columbia First Church of the Nazarene in South Carolina, and they grew up together.
Crum and Morvay came to Trevecca in 2010 having a deeply-rooted familiarity with the school. In 2011, Comer followed. The daughter of a Nazarene pastor, Comer was no stranger to the University. Her parents, older sister, aunt and uncle were all graduates.
“I have pictures of me on campus when I was five,” Comer said. “I didn’t look at many other colleges. Trevecca runs in my blood and it wasn’t much of a competition.”
When Comer arrived in 2011, she knew she already had friends on campus she could count on. Much of her Trevecca experience took place alongside Crum and Morvay, including events like Paintapalooza and intramural contests. But perhaps the most important times were the worship nights they experienced together. “There were so many intimate moments that we got to have through those experiences that we wouldn't have had otherwise,” Comer said. “When we did walk through hard times in college, those worship nights were really good moments for us to connect.”
Even post-graduation, Comer, Crum and Morvay were there for one another through visits, care kits, and home decoration during a traumatic hospitalization.
“It’s incredible when you have a really strong foundation and have seen each other at your best and your worst,” Comer said. “You can hold each other up in prayer and point each other back to Jesus. You can have hard conversations, and it's totally natural because you just know each other like the back of your hand.”
In 2014, Comer was able to graduate a year early, allowing her to walk across the stage with Crum and Morvay. They shared a special embrace after the ceremony in a perfect ending to their time together at Trevecca.
The three have stayed connected in the years since, and their friendship has continued to flourish as they’ve all become wives and mothers. “We were all in each other's weddings,” Comer said. “Looking back from the beginning of our marriages and later becoming parents, I have so much pride for who they are today.”
Crum was an education major who currently teaches in South Carolina. Morvay was a nursing major and is a night nurse, also in South Carolina. As for Comer, an interpersonal communications major, she stayed at Trevecca and now serves as the director of undergraduate admissions, working to ensure that Trevecca’s doors are open for more students to have experiences similar to hers. 
“Trevecca is a place that fosters and nurtures relationships. You have to be open to the idea that the Lord has placed people here for such a time as this,” Comer said. “It takes the focus off of yourself a little bit and recognizes that God may have placed you here for someone else. College is about finding yourself, but it's also about the people you meet along the way. You can be people who not only carry each other to the throne but also cheer each other on.”
Comer, Krum and Morvay still look back fondly on that final hug after walking across the stage.
“There was just this moment when I was thinking 'I'm so proud of my best friends,’ even more than ‘I'm excited that I just graduated,’” Comer said. “So that hug was less about ‘Look at me’ than to say ‘I’m so proud of you. You’ve done it.’”
