The pair came from similar family upbringings, both being the eldest of four children. They shared a strong sense of faith and dreamed of pursuing careers in nursing. Their similarities only increased as time progressed, and their friendship deepened.
Twenty-six years later, Ludeman, now Shonka, and Christophel remain as close as ever, despite living two hours apart. Their bond now extends to the next generation, as their daughters are best friends and first-year students (but, alas, not roommates) at UVA.
When UVA Today asked readers to share their first-year roommate success stories – those rare matches that blossomed into lifelong friendships – this one stood out.
Shonka remembers feeling an immediate connection with Christophel.
“She’s caring, but has a very carefree spirit,” Shonka said. “She’s a loyal friend. I’ve always felt like that. She’s always felt like family to me.”
Shonka and Christophel joined UVA InterVarsity, a student-led, Christian fellowship organization during their first semester at the University.
“I would say what truly has anchored our friendship over the past 2 1/2 decades is our common faith,” Christophel said. “Through that, we’ve been able to be a source of encouragement to each other through all the joys and sorrows of life.”
The two become close with two other girls in their hall in the Dabney House, including Kim Newton and Sarah McInnes. They have remained close friends since their time at UVA. “I consider their friendship one of the greatest blessings of my life,” Christophel said.
Their time at UVA was filled with shared experiences, from regular trips to the snack bar in the basement of Bonnycastle House for candy and breadsticks to leaning on one another during their studies in the School of Nursing.
“Occasionally, we would make ourselves go to the library so we could actually get some studying done,” Christophel said.
Shonka, Christophel, Newton and McInnes later lived together in a house on 14th Street. “We had a blast,” Shonka said.
Around their third year, Christophel began dating her now-husband, Jared, who later introduced Shonka to David, her future husband.
“I was her wingman, and she was mine,” Christophel said.
Christophel married her husband shortly after graduating from the School of Nursing in December of 2002. Shonka tied the knot with her husband in 2004.
Christophel and Shonka stuck around in Charlottesville while their husbands both completed medical school and the five year ENT residency program at UVA.
Shonka and Christophel were separated for a year as their husbands completed ENT fellowship programs in different parts of the country. Shonka lived in Iowa City and Christophel moved to Minneapolis. “It was very different, but it was only a year,” Christophel said.
By sheer luck, their husbands both ended up landing jobs at UVA Health as ENT specialists right after finishing their fellowship programs, which brought Shonka and Christophel back together again.
They found themselves settling close to each other in Charlottesville, where, with their four children all around the same ages, their bond only grew stronger as they navigated the ups and downs of parenthood side-by-side.
“We just did life together,” Shonka said.
Their eldest daughters, Ainsley Shonka and Ava Christophel, have been inseparable since birth. The girls say they can’t remember a time when they weren’t a part of each other’s lives.
“Our moms have gone through thick and thin together,” Ava said. “It’s been so cool for me to watch our mother’s friendship because it gives me that standard for our relationship.”
The girls grew up attending UVA football games and Trick-or-Treating on the Lawn, so UVA was always on their radars. They loved watching romantic comedies together, particularly “The Princess Diaries.”
When Ava was 13, her father transitioned to private practice as an ENT specialist in Yorktown.
“Moving was pretty hard on Ava,” Christophel said, “so she promised to herself that she would be back in Charlottesville.”
And she did just that. Ava applied early decision to UVA, knowing it was the place she wanted to call home again. When she was accepted, her parents were thrilled.
A couple of months later, Ainsley committed to UVA. “UVA kept growing on me, and it just felt right,” she said.
This past August, the two families moved their daughters into their first-year dorms at UVA. In an unexpected twist of fate, Ava ended up in the same hall her mother once lived in, while Ainsley is just across the way in Emmett House.
“It’s been really nice to have someone who I can just be myself around, which I think is really hard when you’re meeting all these new people. I can completely relax with Ainsley,” Ava said. “It’s comforting to know she is 200 feet from me.”
The Christophel and Shonka families have made an annual tradition of vacationing together at Bald Head Island, North Carolina. This December, Becca Christophel, Katy Shonka and their former hallmates are planning a special celebratory getaway for their 45th birthdays.
Christophel plans to visit Charlottesville several times during the next few months – once for Ava’s birthday and again for Parents’ Weekend. Shonka always offers a place to stay, so she knows she’ll have a warm welcome waiting.
