Fargo Friendships: Stacy (Bjerke) Finnesgard & Ashley (Kasowski) Meagher: Fargo South High School, Class of 2003

Stacy and I met in elementary school at Lewis and Clark, and we had the opportunity to know each other better when we both participated in gymnastics after school. Fortunately for us, we were placed in the same pod at Agassiz, and our friendship continued to grow! We spent a lot of time together through middle school, and days in junior high at Discovery, and I’m so grateful to have had a grounded, genuine, caring friend to walk alongside our adolescent years together. Passing notes between classes and feeling like we won the lottery because we had classes together or were in the same pod! 

Outside of school, we went to each others’ lake places in the summers, created dances to the newest pop songs, jumped on the tramp, spent Saturdays at the mall (we both still have the best friends necklace we bought with each other!) and numerous weekends having sleepovers and innocent fun. Most importantly, we talked to each other about topics that mattered to our hearts, and we were able to support each other in steady friendship. We continued to be friends through high school and once college began, we lived hours apart, but we made time for each other through phone calls and met up when we returned home to Fargo. To this day, we are close friends, now meeting each other often for coffee dates and connecting as families. It’s really special to see our husbands and kids connecting together, too. Stace is a dear friend, a gem of a friend, and one I’m so thankful to have in my life for 30 years!