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8 friends rally around nervous college student, helping her get ready for her first date

He picked her up with flowers.

erinv.log/Instagram

College girlfriends help friend Avery get ready for first date.

There are few things more nerve-wracking than going on a first date. But when you have a big group of supportive girlfriends who are there to help you pick out your outfit and do your hair and makeup, you know everything is gonna be okay.

And that was just the case for Auburn University student Avery (@averyy_ayers), who was featured in her friend Erin's (@erinv.logerinv.log) sweet video that captured her girl squad rallying around her to put her at ease and make her feel beautiful for her first date.

In the video, Erin documents how 8 girls crammed into a tiny dorm room to help Avery prep. "first date YAY!!!", she captioned the post.

The video begins with Avery trying on a number of different outfits for her friends, who all offer their opinions on if it is 'the one' or not. After trying on at least 5 different outfits (that got the 'thumbs up' or 'thumbs down' from the group), there is a clear winner: a colorful, floral smocked dress that she paired with sandals.

The girls are having a blast together, dancing and playing games while Avery continues to get ready. The fun and relaxed atmosphere helped put her nerves at ease. Next, one of her girlfriends has Avery sit in a chair to do her makeup. Then another friend does her hair using a curling wand to give her pretty waves. Once her look is complete, she gives her friends a twirl and they all clap for her.

glamGetting Ready Canadian GIF by Shay MitchellGiphy

The camera follows Avery as she leaves the dorm room and goes into the stairwell to make her way downstairs to meet her date, her nerves clearly ramping up. She meets her date outside, who is sitting on a bench waiting for her with flowers. He also put some effort into his outfit to look nice, rocking a white short sleeve button down and khakis. When he sees her, he stands up and goes to give her a hug. Of course, her girl squad is watching from the dorm, and she turns around and waves to them, showing the flowers with a big smile.


floweGive I Love You GIF by Jimmy ArcaGiphy

And viewers are loving the support of Avery's friends and her date's sweet efforts, too. "The vibes of a freshman college student living in the dorm rooms with all her best friends are immaculate! This is perfect!" one wrote. Another commented, "FLOWERS ON THE FIRST DATE? YESS SIR 🔥🔥🔥." Another wrote, "And he put effort into his outfit / looks so put together too!" And another viewer shared, "this is so girlhood ❤️😭 i can tell by her smile that she is just the BEST person to be around!! hope it went well! :)"

Thankfully, Avery did not leave viewers hanging. She gave multiples responses when asked in the comment section how the date went. Spoiler alert: it was a total success. When one viewer commented, "We need an update", she responded, "date was 10/10". And when another commented, "She has such joy. It is beautiful. How did this work out for her?", she also replied, "it went great!!"

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This 'feel-good' story about helping out a cash strapped teacher sends the wrong message about how our system is failing teachers.

Elisabeth Milich, like so many other teachers in the country, is paid much less than her worth.

She's a second grade teacher at Whispering Wind Academy in Phoenix, Arizona, a Title 1 school that serves low-income students and receives federal funding. In 2018, Milich's salary was $35,621.25, and since the funding her school receives is hardly ever enough to cover costs of the classroom supplies she needed to do her job, she'd often dip into her own pockets to make up the difference.

So, around the same time that #RedforEd — a teacher-driven movement calling for a 20% pay increase and better education funding — swept across Arizona state, Milich decided to take a bold stand: She shared her salary publicly on Facebook.

"I buy every roll of tape, every paper clip I use, every Sharpie I grade with, every snack I feed kids who don't have them, every decorated bulletin board, the list could go on. I love teaching! BUT...the reality is without my husband's income I could NEVER be an educator in this state!" her post read.

The post, which has since been taken down, quickly went viral, catching the attention of many a journalist. It also touched Ben Adam, a man from New York City who decided to reach out to Milich with a generous offer — he wanted to pay for her classroom supplies and snacks for the kids.

"I'm sensitive to the people that get the short end of the stick and without complaining," Adam told Good Morning America. "Teachers work very hard and don't get much in return."

Milich thought it was a wonderful, one-time gift, but Adam had other, loftier plans.

Not only has he fully supplied her classroom for the last two semesters, he's done the same for five other teachers in Phoenix. He even bought a butterfly farm for one of the classrooms.

And, in order to keep the giving going, he started a website last month called Classroom Giving, which opened up his teacher give-back mission to anyone who wants to contribute.

Unlike your average crowdfunding campaign, this website allows you to buy an item off an educator's wish list, just like a wedding or baby registry. It's then sent directly to them.

So far, about 12 teachers have received supplies, and Adam says he's since received requests from teachers in Colorado, Washington, Alaska and California.

Underpaid teachers and underfunded schools aren't only in Arizona, and give-back initiatives like this, while incredible, will not solve the systemic problem alone.

In 2018, hundreds of schools in both Arizona and Colorado had to close because so many teachers walked out in protest over their abysmal salaries and funding. According to Time Magazine, the 3.2 million full-time public school teachers in America today are experiencing the worst wage stagnation of any profession. As Milich succinctly put it to the New York Times, the education system in this country is "broken," and it's going to take more than a few generous individuals to fix it.

“I know educators in this state who are leaving the profession every day because they can't afford to live or because they're sick of the environment they're working in," she told the Times reporter.

If you believe education plays a crucial role in the future of this country, it's time to reach out to your government officials and fight for the people who are desperately trying to keep it afloat.

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