Catherine Xiang is a Stanford ME classmate, Apple PD intern, and Berlin study abroad companion from Northern Virginia (571 area code — Fairfax/Arlington area). Email: cxiang@stanford.edu, catherinexiang101@gmail.com. She and Amy peaked at 9,589 messages in 2023, the year they spent a month together in Berlin and then returned to Stanford as grad school coterm students. She has a cat named Junimo (from Stardew Valley) and once drove cross-country from Virginia to California stopping at Rocky Mountain National Park to meet a friendly chipmunk who let them pet him. Amy: "WE NEED IT IN OUR LIVES."
How They Met
The first iMessage is April 26, 2023 — they're already in Berlin together for the Stanford study abroad program. But they must have known each other before: both entered Stanford's MS ME program in Fall 2022, overlapping in the same engineering cohort. Berlin just accelerated everything. The first message Catherine sent to Amy was literally "hii" — and then they immediately became close.
Their Berlin group: Amy, Catherine, Sonja, Anika, Justine, Gabby, Cole, Maya, and others on the same Stanford program.
Berlin (Spring 2023)
A month+ of daily coordination that turned a classmate into a real friend. Their Berlin life:
- Gallery Weekend Berlin (late April) — a major city-wide art fair with open studios. Amy sent the map link. They roamed galleries.
- KaDeWe — the famous Berlin department store. Catherine announced "I FOUND THE PEANUT BUTTER AND IN CRUNCHY TOO" — a whole celebration.
- Clubbing at Havanna Berlin — ladies free, near Eisenacher Str. They coordinated outfits via text: "grey pant / black top."
- Day trip to Venice — with part of the group.
- Cooking together — adzuki beans that got too dry, fried rice with "only rice and eggs," multiple attempts at tangyuan (paste kept coming out too flaky). They had a shared pot of too much food they were trying to finish all week.
- Dodging attendance — Amy and Catherine plotted to sneak out after professors took attendance at mandatory lectures. "Let's skip and then see if he takes attendance and have someone sign us in?"
- Getting food poisoning from the same cheese sandwich — both running to the bathroom.
Catherine was warm and organized — the person who invited everyone, coordinated the meetups, checked the logistics. Amy was the energy spark.
Summer 2023 — Boulder Visit
Post-Berlin, Amy invited Catherine to Boulder, Colorado (Aug 11-21). Amy had housing and food covered for Apple work; Catherine came along. They planned it midnight. Catherine called her parents immediately to ask permission. Made a Google Sheets itinerary, did hiking, shared a king bed.
This happened right after the Diego breakup — Amy texted on August 1: "Are u doing anything aug 11-21 and wanna come to boulder Colorado with me? I have housing and food covered for 2 people." Catherine: "DOWN, IM FREEEE."
Catherine's parents in Boulder: "only been eating nuts, with my granola parents." Her dad asked if she was vegetarian by saying "are you vegetable" — which became a running joke.
Fall 2023 — Back at Stanford Together
Both doing their Stanford MS ME coterm. Peak friend era. They took overlapping classes, including CS205L ("205L mathematicians" study group). They traded course advice and registration strategy.
Stardew Valley consumed Catherine's life. She named her cat Junimo after a Stardew character and drove it cross-country from Virginia to California. She started playing on her parents' Tesla one day and then "slept one hour yesterday... all I do is stardew, no thoughts only stardew." She planned a Stardew Valley themed dinner party from a real Stardew cookbook. They planned a laser cut Etsy shop with Junimo merch — a project that was earnestly discussed but never launched. She plays jump rope competitively (7-9pm practice sessions).
Apple tips. Both were Apple interns. They shared hacks: free Doc Martens from the free pile, $4,000 car deal, 2TB iCloud storage, Apple Park gym (really good), free therapy for a few months, discounted products credit, buy-nothing-new Slack channel, commuter benefits. "Buy discounted products for people using ur credit."
Venting about men. They swap dating war stories. Catherine: "a lot of these people I went on a date on, I feel like they just talk about themselves and their work." Amy: "for boy mental maturity, I subtract at least 2 years from their age." Catherine, about Amy's effect on men: "the testosterone goes crazy when it meets Amy, you're too powerful."
Catherine had a crush named Emaad (who sent her a "long-ass LinkedIn message" she thought was a hack). She had a hot physics PhD TA she was very into: "kind to students, comfortable to talk to, detailed oriented, nice smile, maybe has abs LOL" — but 9pm bedtime. She asked Amy about "john hong" — if he's in a relationship: "i didn't ask u this hehe."
She speaks Spanish ("estoy un poco enferma y cansada hoy"). She had financial aid stress — Stanford charged her $20k from gap year earnings.
2024-2025 — Distance
They stay connected but the daily intensity fades. Catherine navigated job searching after Stanford — multiple Apple interview rounds, doing "pd design challenges," hoping "vpg pd will take me." In January 2025, before an Apple interview: "need to channel my inner Amy when they ask me questions." When she expressed worry about the iPhone team, Amy warned: "Girl don't do it / iPhone team is insanity."
Apple recruiter solidarity: Catherine: "the recruiter said $50 was fine and typical..." Amy: "She is a liar / My apple recruiter lied to me too / Such a bitch / Im manifesting 60 dollars an hour for miss Catherine xiang."
Summer 2025: Catherine got an Apple internship in Sunnyvale (Home Devices/technology project). She was the only intern/person under 28 in her entire project org. "Good overall but kinda lonely." Amy sent her every Apple life hack she knew.
November 2025 — Moving to SF
Catherine moves to San Francisco: "Well I moved to SF! So I am closer to hangout now hehe." She heard about Taiyaki from a stranger at a party and reached out — Amy had to tell her she'd left the company. They kept almost-hanging but missing each other.
Last message in database: March 10, 2026 — Catherine sends a YouTube link, Amy hearts it.
The "Thomas" Drama
Ongoing bit: Thomas is some guy in their mutual Stanford world who developed feelings for Catherine. Amy was shocked. Catherine was exasperated. "Homie is horny af." Catherine: "WTFFFFF 🤡🤡🤡 GIRL I DIDNT KNOW HE WAS LIKE THATTT." The joke: men around Amy tend to go feral. Catherine: "from emaad to thomas and pull this behavior."
The Emotional Texture
Catherine and Amy are a study-abroad / grad school friendship — built on shared logistics, shared stress, shared spaces. Berlin accelerated a closeness that would have taken a full year otherwise. When you're navigating German bureaucracy and hunting for peanut butter and getting too drunk on wine together, you become real friends fast.
Catherine occupies a specific role: normalcy and play. During the Taya years, Amy was grinding in a way that ate her alive. Catherine texting about Stardew, chipmunks at Rocky Mountain National Park, and banana pudding was grounding. She is not tangled up in the startup world. She's just a friend who wants to make Junimo stickers and play Overcooked. The fun friend — which is its own essential category.
Key Quotes
"the testosterone goes crazy when it meets amy, you're too powerful."
"i hope his socks get lost in the washing machine though" (about a bad date)
"I FOUND THE PEANUT BUTTER AND IN CRUNCHY TOO"
"are you vegetable" (Catherine's dad, trying to ask if she was vegetarian)
"need to channel my inner Amy when they ask me questions"
Amy: "I want to play more overcooked 🤩🤩🤩"
Stats
9,589 messages. April 2023 to March 2026. Peak: 2023 (Berlin + Stanford). Still in SF as of 2026 but low-frequency contact. The friendship that started with art galleries and bad German Airbnbs and tangyuan that wouldn't hold together.