Two women from different generations challenge the idea that discovery belongs only to the young. This Women’s Day, their friendship reaffirms the reason why growth and reinvention have a lifelong arc

Some of the most compelling bonds between women are forged through a shared way of seeing the world. For fashion designer and Bambah Boutique founder, Maha Abdul Rasheed, and her former university professor, Virginia La Torre Jeker, friendship emerged not despite their generational difference, but because of it. Nearly three decades apart in age, their friendship is grounded in a mutual appetite for ideas and conversation. “I first met Virginia in my third year of university in 2004, when she taught me Business Law at the American University of Sharjah,” says Abdul Rasheed. “My first impression of her was
that she’s super strong, super stylish, super in control. I wanted to be like her someday!” For La Torre Jeker, the pull was equally instinctive. “She had a spark and I love when a student is genuinely interested.

She was someone whose determination and curiosity mirrored my own early fire. I grew close with her because she’s someone who values things that I value,” she says.Their differences have little bearing on the intimacy of the friendship. “To me, Virginia is just a friend. To me, age is always just a number,” says Abdul Rasheed. “Our relationship is proof that friendship has no age limits or cultural barriers.” Abdul Rasheed draws from La Torre Jeker’s lived wisdom, perspective, and storytelling. La Torre Jeker, in turn, is energised by Abdul Rasheed’s forward-looking sensibility and creative momentum. “What Maha gives me that friends closer to my age can’t quite match is her bright, future-facing energy,” La Torre Jeker reflects. “She’s living and creating in a world that moves faster than the one I grew up in, and her excitement about new possibilities constantly pulls me forward. It reminds me how much there still is to learn and enjoy. You can always reinvent…”

Ultimately, what distinguishes the two women’s bond is its emphasis on presence – on listening carefully, remaining curious, and allowing oneself to be shaped by another’s perspective. “Virginia would tell us stories about how she raised her son in Hong Kong alone, of the good times and the difficult times. It’s always a good reality check,” says Abdul Rasheed. “I think it’s important to really be as honest as you can be, because we always expect so much out of ourselves, as women. We expect ourselves to be perfect and to look great and to be able to sing, dance, write, and do everything else in between. And life isn’t like that, you know. We’re going to have tough times,” says La Torre Jeker. “I feel cheated in a way because I didn’t have someone to tell me this when I was younger.” “Virginia has played such an important role in my life, as both mentor and friend.

She represents the idea that age is never a limitation, and that relationships across generations can be deeply fulfilling and transformative. Our friendship is a reminder that some connections are truly timeless,” Abdul Rasheed reflects. “I look back and I remember how it was for me, struggling in different ways. I put myself through university, I paid my own way through law school, I worked as a janitor, I worked as an ice cream scooper, research assistant. You name it, I probably did it. I think Maha has a lot of that determination too, I see that in her,” says La Torre Jeker. On Women’s Day, Abdul Rasheed believes mutual respect and warmth should be a bastion for all friendships. “I would say to women out there, do yourselves a favour. Don’t be judgemental of other women.

They should be your comrades. They should be your support group,” she says. In a world increasingly defined by speed and superficiality, their friendship affirms the power of exchange and authenticity. Growth, the two women remind us, is not linear or owned by any single generation – it unfolds through dialogue, trust, and the willingness to stay open, keeping us intellectually alive and emotionally expansive at every age.