The Fab 5: Oxford Roots, Unbreakable Bonds

It was the late 1990s, before the invention of the smartphone and social media. Before any of these women could comprehend how much Oxford College would shape their friendships and identities, the Fab 5 formed. Right here on campus, Rachel, Kenitta, Stephanie, Camille, and Romona formed an unbreakable bond that would last them a lifetime.

They came from different walks of life: Romona and Camille were from New York, having left their home state, while Rachel, Stephanie, and Kenitta were all raised in Georgia, each attending Oxford for their own reasons. The small, close-knit environment of Oxford College was crucial to the formation of their friendship, as it allowed them to find each other despite their different backgrounds and personalities.

It was the countless moments that brought each of these women closer. From hanging out in each other’s dorms, watching New York Undercover, attending classes together, and frequently eating together at Lil’s, they found joy and friendship. It was during these moments that their group became more than just friends; they became family. “I think because it was a smaller school, we were able to bond a little easier because we didn't have so many outside distractions,” says Stephanie.

Even as they navigated their paths and experiences at Oxford and beyond, the relationships that they formed didn’t fade; they only grew stronger. Rachel, who transferred schools after Oxford because her major wasn’t offered at Emory, could’ve easily drifted apart from the group. Fortunately, that never happened. “I’m thankful for them,” she says, “because by my leaving, I could have lost all these friends. We maintained this friendship the entire time.”

What could’ve been a fracture in the group became another layer of strength. Their friendship wasn’t dependent on geography; it was rooted in intention. “That speaks to our connection as it has grown, because throughout our lives, things have changed,” Romona reflects. “Rachel eventually moved to New York, then Atlanta, and later to Alabama. Stephanie moved to Florida and then came back to Atlanta. I moved to New York, but throughout all those transitions, we maintained friendship, we kept that same spirit.”

That spirit, the one they built at Oxford, didn’t stay in the past. It adapted with them. It followed them through cross-country moves, life transitions, and career shifts. The Fab 5, as they often called themselves, became more than a nickname; it became a living example of how friendship can evolve without losing its core.

Through all those seasons, their support for each other never wavered. It was during life’s most significant moments—some joyful, some heavy—that the strength of that friendship truly revealed itself.

When Camille was diagnosed with breast cancer last year, the ladies showed their unwavering support, rallying behind her and giving her encouragement. “They each show up in different ways,” says Camille. "One is coming to me to make sure I'm staying active, another is coming to keep me grounded, someone else is coming to make sure that I am staying uplifted spiritually, and another is coming to me with jokes just to make sure that I keep a smile on my face and keep laughing.”

In 2015, Rachel’s mother passed away unexpectedly. Rachel felt the love and support of her sister-friends, catching a glimpse of them sharing smiles of comfort as she and her family processed out of the sanctuary at the end of the service. Even when Rachel moved to a different state to attend school, the Fab 5 remained close, visiting her in New York and Alabama.

When Stephanie was diagnosed with lymphoma, initially it seemed treatable, but then the cancer became more serious. Throughout every stage, these women were her anchor and support system when everything else felt uncertain. When doctors told Stephanie that she would need a bone marrow transplant, which would require her to be isolated at home for eight long months, her Fab 5 sisters didn’t hesitate to jump into action. “We were all ready to get tested, to donate if we had to,” said Camille. They rallied around her and together, they bought her an iPad so she wouldn’t feel so alone and could stay connected. Later, when Stephanie got a second opinion in New York, fortunately, the doctors told her she was young enough to forgo the transplant. 

Through heartbreak, illness, and life’s unexpected turns, these women never wavered in their commitment to each other. It’s the kind of bond that only deepens with time.

As the ladies reminisced about their journeys and time at Oxford, it was easy to picture them walking the quad and socializing around campus. Stories flowed about happy days there, familiar narratives told for the hundredth time, yet still met with wide smiles and knowing glances. As they spoke, their words started to echo back in time. It wasn’t deliberate. No one asked, “What would you tell your younger self?” but the advice was there between the lines. It was how Rachel talked about her friends’ continued presence even from a distance; how Stephanie remembered letting herself be cared for by others; the way Camille knew she had sisters who would keep her grounded; Romona’s retelling of their adventures as young adults in the dorm that have followed them into adulthood; and Kenitta’s vivid memory of how each of them supported each other academically while on campus. It was the quiet strength that ran beneath every woman’s story, how every single one of them has shown up for each other when it counted the most, and how they continue to do so now.

Perhaps that was the unspoken hope, the silent gift they carried, that someone, somewhere, might see parts of themselves in this story. That a young woman attending Oxford in the fall might read between the lines and understand that meaningful, long-lasting friendships will be formed here, that real friendships aren’t always loud or perfect. It’s years of showing up. It’s forgiveness without being asked. It’s the laughter that softens sorrow and the silence that doesn’t need to be filled. “I strongly believe that we were divinely orchestrated to meet each other and walk through life together,” says Romona. They all thank Oxford for bringing them together and allowing them to experience all that they have in their 30 years of fabulous friendship.