Clara Earley & Sam Ude

Shortly after arriving on campus in 2022 as freshmen for cross-country preseason, Clara Earley and Samantha “Sam” Ude met for the first time. Both from the Nashville area, neither of them really remembers when they became friends—but it happened quickly. Now juniors who confidently finish each other’s sentences, Earley says, “We do pretty much everything together.” Laughing and nodding in agreement, Ude chimes in, “People think of us as a package deal.” It wasn’t until a few months later, however, that the pieces came together—revealing a connection neither of them could have imagined.

A series of stop-and-start conversations slowly led from one realization to another. “We both knew we were adopted from China,” says Earley, “but that was it.” Then, one day, they narrowed it down further. “We were just talking and found out we’re from the same province,” Ude recalls. “And we were like, ‘Oh my gosh! Same province! So cool!’” But the conversation stopped there. Then, about a week later, Earley remembers one of them saying, “Wait—what city?”

What followed was a flurry of texts and calls to their parents—confirming not just their shared hometown of Chenzhou, a city of more than four million people in China’s inland Hunan province, but something even more remarkable: They had come from the same orphanage. As the shock of their discovery settled, Earley and Ude couldn’t help but reflect on the series of choices that led them both to Sewanee.

Though they arrived unaware of their deeper connection, both were drawn to Sewanee for similar reasons—strong academics, a close-knit community, and the chance to play sports at the collegiate level. And since that first preseason, they’ve made the most of their time on the Mountain. Earley is a two-sport athlete, competing in cross-country—where she earned SAA Academic Honor Roll recognition this fall—and lacrosse in the spring. A neuroscience major, she also serves as a proctor and tutors fellow students in the pre-health program. Ude, also a cross-country runner and proctor, is an economics major with minors in Spanish and business.

Soon, though, their daily routines will look a little different. Sam is preparing to spend a semester abroad in South America, marking the longest stretch the two have spent apart since meeting at Sewanee. But even distance won’t change their dynamic. “We will try to limit it to one FaceTime per day,” they both agree when asked how they’ll stay in touch.

For Earley and Ude, Sewanee has become more than just a place to study and compete—it’s where a shared past unexpectedly came to light, and where a lasting friendship continues to grow and thrive.