I met dad and mom on September 26th, 1996 and they have been my best friends ever since! My dad's jokes are my favorite and I’d like to think I get my humor from him. My mom's hugs are the most comforting and it’s safe to say I get my dancing skills from her.
Hit them up if you are ever in Rochester, NY!
~ Sejal
If you know me, my parents are my biggest role models and I owe 100% of my success to them. From travelling around the world, to watching probably every single Bucs/Rays/Bolts game for the past decade, we've had a great run with many years to come.
My greatest memory is them both telling me something during the ages of 1-25 and me now saying "dang, they were right."
Kunal and I have never needed to compete to be the favorite child because I am even Kunal's favorite. We are truly opposites but complement each other as siblings!
He is calm, understanding, and patient.
~Sejal
Kajal is the sister I never had! Our names and nicknames even rhyme: Seju & Kaju, fit together very well. Our brothers' find us equally annoying but also love us equally as much.
If you can't get a hold of me it's probably because I am Face-timing Kaju.
~Sejal
I met Sonya during the summer after my freshman year at the University of Pittsburgh. We met at Hillman library, randomly decided we should be friends because all our other friends were back home for summer break, ran around Oakland just the two of us all summer, got closer than ever, and the rest was history!
For a year of college, I even went by Sonya Naik at the campus bar, shhh. Long live our matching Hemingway's tanks!
~Sejal
Kisu is my sweetest friend! She always knows what to say when I need advice. Also, she loves Yeh Jewani Hai Deewani and if you ever wake up to someone standing over you singing "Jumma Chumma" it is probs her ...
If you ever need help figuring out what Indian outfit to wear, call her!
~Sejal
Aadya was my favorite college roomie! If you know us, you know the rest ... lol. We spent so many nights wearing face masks sitting in the living room doing homework or watching TV, not realizing how fast time would fly by!
Aadya loved living with me so much that her roommate for life is also a Patel, Parth Patel. :)
~Sejal
I met Devyani technically my freshman year of college but we didn't get close till sophomore year! You could always catch her convincing us to get chicken nuggets or $5 Sorrento's pizza after a night of going out (and we always did). Since then, it’s safe to say our meals together have upgraded! She is the soup dumpling queen. :)
However, in true desi fashion our one true love is Sabudana Ni Kichdi!
~Sejal
Naya and I spent so much time in high school at each others houses and doing aunty things! Naya is my oldest friend and our different flavors of life have brought both of us out of our comfort zones throughout the years.
Our summer together in Hoboken is probably my fondest memory: the jersey shore, running around the streets of NYC, hanging out on her apartments rooftop. Memories I will cherish forever!
~Sejal
Trisha is Akeen's little cousin and essentially his little sister so soon to be my little sister as well! She is a sweetheart and an amazing goalie, fencer, and the ultimate teaser of Akeen.
As her almost older sister, one of my goals is to get her to dress up a little so let’s see if it works at the wedding. :)
~Sejal
When I was 4 years old, I was gifted with a brother who is a friend for life. We lived a painful life in Tampa through the Raheem, Schiano, Lovie, and Koetter eras, but we peaked in 2020 when we saw the Bucs win the Super Bowl. If you ask us, we are still peaking.
Recently, our favorite moment was watching the Bucs beat the Bills in 2021. If Rikin doesn't tell you how epic this game was, ask Kunal.
Drew and I met at Florida State where we watched Jameis tear up the Miami Hurricanes on the way to a National Championship title.
Here's a nice little nugget for you -- Drew was actually the first person from Akeen's side to meet Sejal, where Sejal enjoyed eating fresh calamari at his house in Pompano. One of our most recent memories is hanging out on St. Augustine Beach (celebrating Sage's 30th birthday) where Drew captured a beautiful picture of Akeen and the sunset.
Sage and I met at Florida State University during my freshman year where we instantly became friends. Back when COVID started, we actually face-timed for 8 hours per day during the work-day to simulate going into the office. Nowadays, you can catch Sage hanging out in Boca with his beautiful dog Isla.
