Kate and Kehau, 14

Kate and Kehau, both 14, met during remote learning in 2020.

“Kehau kind of changed my life,” laughs Kate as both girls explode into giggles.

The two met as seventh graders doing remote learning in the midst of the pandemic. Kehau had been attending the same Chicago public school since kindergarten, and online chatting with the classmates she’d known for years was still a novelty. Kate had reluctantly transferred into her new school from Wisconsin and was now spending eight hours a day in the darkness of her bedroom, staring at blank boxes for classmates who kept their cameras off.

As remote learning dragged on and social opportunities remained scarce, Kate’s fears about entering a new school building full of people she didn’t know had morphed into crippling anxiety.

“I noticed a lot of changes in the summer before eighth grade,” says her dad Josh Beaton. “She was appearing less confident, less jovial, and her appetite had changed. She was hiding her body under sweatshirts in the middle of August.”

By the second day of eighth grade, Kate was a changed person.

“I’m signing up for volleyball with Kehau,” she announced that week. “And I have a sleepover this weekend. And I made a lot of new friends.”

Six months later, the girls wore matching outfits to attend their first live concert together: Olivia Rodrigo.

“Kehau has always been sociable and extremely confident,” says her mom Ami. “I’m relieved to see her spark has not dimmed as she begins her freshman year.”

“It was really fun to do a ‘besties’ shoot,” says Josh. “I’ve seen first-hand the power that a supportive friend can have on a teenage girl, and I was honored to capture this special, fleeting time in their lives.”

The friends experimented with different looks during their hour-long photo session.