Sharing connections with your classmates throughout high school is vital. Human connection is necessary for growth. Involving yourself in clubs and sports can open up new doors for meeting new people and surrounding yourself with others who share the same interests. For me, my outlet was Verve.
As someone who has intentionally sat alone at lunch or avoided people in the halls, I now know that making connections at school affects your entire high school experience. A majority of my friends were from my work or had already graduated, so I didn’t feel the need to make any more friends, which was wrong.
Having that haunting isolation at school seeps into the other days of the week like existential dread, if you will. It wasn’t until my last semester of senior year that I actually started talking to my classmates more. This was partially because I lived in Hawaii for the first semester of senior year. Good timing, am I right?
This advice is not intended just for those who eat lunch alone. It’s also for those who do have friendships at school. You never know that the quiet kid slumping against the classroom wall could one day be a close friend. Some of my best friendships are ones that I never thought would have happened. Joining Verve was the best outlet for me to connect because I was surrounded by people who enjoyed the same things.
It’s important to notice life while you live it. Don’t wait until college to connect with people. This is the time you are in now, so take advantage of that. But don’t root yourself too deep to where graduating is like leaving a part of yourself behind. It is ok to feel pain for leaving behind what you love. It is part of moving on. However, it is important to remember that the future provides even more opportunities for growth. Plant yourself just enough so that when you move on, you can feel like you lived that part of your life as best as you could.
It is always possible to change your high school experience. Your memories only exist in your mind, so make them as beautiful as you want. I would rather think back on high school and feel nostalgic than regretful. Creating friendships in high school changes how you feel about those four years of your life. I am grateful that I was able to make friends and carry on those relationships into the next phase of my life.
Comments