Big Sister Sarah and Little Sister Rakiya
Meet Little Sister Rakiya and her Big Sister Sarah, first matched as School Buddies 12 years ago in 2013. Although the two are no longer matched, they look back at their friendship and time in the program with fondness.
Rakiya first got involved with Big Brothers Big Sisters when she was in second grade, right after her dad had passed away. Hoping to give her daughter another person to talk to during this time, Rakiya’s mom signed her daughter up for a School Buddy.
After shifting from the military to being a full-time civilian and having her first child, Sarah was beginning a new chapter in her life. When her new workplace partnered with Big Brothers Big Sisters, a manager asked if she’d be willing to join the School Buddies program. Sarah decided she’d add it to her new weekly routine, having liked volunteering with kids’ reading programs in the past.
Starting as School Buddies
So young, Rakiya doesn’t even remember the first time they met, but Sarah remembers the nervousness about whether her new Little would like her. For the first year they were matched, the shy and quiet second-grader would smile or giggle at anything Sarah said before going quiet again. They played lots of board games, but it wasn’t until the next year that they started really connecting. This was about the time that Sarah taught Rakiya chess—a game that became very important to their match.
“I was just really impressed someone her age was interested and excited to learn something so different and new,” said Sarah.
Rakiya loved playing chess with her Big, and she still loves chess to this day, playing online now. Soon, it was time for the two to graduate from the School Buddies program, and they quickly jumped into a whole new array of activities.
Different musicals and plays made for frequent trips to the Embassy, where they got to experience theatre and ballet performances together, such as the Nutcracker and Annie. They also went to a few ball games together, and they, of course, continued their chess tradition. It was fun for Sarah, a mother to three sons, to get to hang out with someone who had different interests.
Growing Up
As Sarah got to know the Rakiya more, along with her mom and grandparents, she got to see her Little grow into her personality and witness her development into an independent, strong, and kind young lady.
“As she became a teenager. She was more, more vocal and more herself and just a very confident, strong, young lady,” said Sarah. “As a kid, I think she was maybe a little more shy, so it was just fun to watch her change.”
She would advocate for herself and negotiate, like when she was deciding where she wanted to go to high school for sports.
“I saw a little of myself in her: being strong and knowing her mind,” described Sarah. “She was just kind of determined, focused, and she's always struck me as a very, very kind person, kind of heart when she talks about others.”
As Rakiya grew into herself, she had a lot going on in her life: lots of new interests, pastimes, and friends. But this Little was still happy to meet up with her sweet and brave Big Sister.
“She’s definitely brave because both her kids were really sick at one point, and she was in the army or national guard—so she was going through both of those things, and she was still able to hang out with me a little bit during those times,” explained Rakiya.
When Sarah shared stories about her struggles with her children’s medical situations, Rakiya listened with empathy. After 12 years of being matched, the two closed their match due to not being able to meet, but both cherish the memories from their match. It gave both of them time with people outside their families and an opportunity to do things they wouldn’t normally do.
“I feel like our relationship evolved when we were hanging out, just being a nice escape from my everyday life, and just being able to hang out with someone new from different stories of life,” said Rakiya.
Big Impact
Despite now being on different life paths and no longer being matched in the program, both are grateful for getting to meet each other. Being a small part of each other’s lives has left a big impact on the pair.
“If there was one thing I could say to my Big, it would definitely just be ‘Thank you so much for being with me throughout all those years and going to places with me, just having me be part of her life as well,’” said Rakiya. “That was really nice, and it was fun being with her, and I really love her so much.”
Sarah echoes this sentiment:
“I appreciated being allowed to be a part of her life growing up, and I hope she has good memories with the chess games and us doing outings and chit-chatting, and I really enjoyed it,” she shared.
Big Goals
The tenacious and determined Rakiya is working hard to achieve her dreams. After graduating from high school in May of 2025, Rakiya began her collegiate journey at Ball State University, studying construction management. Along with the Frank Zirille Scholarship, Rakiya received the Todd Friecha Construction Management Scholarship, a Red Cross Scholarship, and a Ball State Scholarship.
“My dad was in the construction field before he passed away, and he used to let me come on job sites with him, just seeing that and exploring it more now that he’s passed away,” said Rakiya, explaining how she chose her major.
“When I was younger and he was showing me around, it was really cool. I wanted to know what was going on and how they knew what to do. So, that’s what started me in the construction field,” she continued.
Inspired by her father, Rakiya is excited to begin this new journey into construction management, where she hopes to one day be a residential or commercial project manager under a construction firm. She looks forward to figuring this out through internships in the field.
BE BIG!
Although their time in the program has come to a close, the two definitely recommend getting involved—whether through being a Little or volunteering.
“When I was younger and going through those things, it was really great to have an escape and someone to talk to and just completely be in a different realm with her,” said Rakiya. “As a Big, I think it helped her as well to have another person outside her life to be with.”
Curious how to get started? Sarah recommends the School Buddies program as a simple way to try out the BBBS programs:
“I would say absolutely give it a try. For me, the School Buddies program was a really good way to just give it a shot if you're not sure if you want to do it.”
Learn more about BBBS programs by visiting our website at www.bbbsnei.org or calling us at 260-456-1600.
