Four years ago, a naive kid who was on top of the world walked into high school thinking it would be just like middle school all over again. Man, how wrong I was in assuming that. I look back at high school now, and I see the transformation from freshman year to senior year.

My mom and dad told me leaving the eighth grade, “Don’t revolve your life around your friends.” Of course I ignored them back then seeing how foolish it is to not let your friends be a major focus in your life. My passive reaction to their advice would cause me to sink down to an incredible low in my life. Friends who claim they’ll always be there for you and that they’re your best friends are all just a part of the high school experience. Some of those friends whom I cared about did not care about me truly, and I allowed it to hurt me to the point where I shut myself out from everyone else at one point.

I moved to West my sophomore year and was a very distant and quiet kid, making sure not to get too close to anyone, only feeling comfortable around senior Taylor West. I realized junior year that it was the wrong approach to take as it let my past dictate my present. As I became more open, I started to gain more friends and started to have fun in high school again. Meeting truly influential people in my life who helped me through a difficult time and most of them to this day don’t know they were a big help.

To the people at who have helped me (Mr.Haim, Mrs. Duff, etc) I truly thank you. I’m looking back now and thinking that maybe high school never was for me, not to say I didn’t have good times because I have had a lot but I see the next phase of my life as being much better than high school. One thing I believe high school does for most students is prepare them for the next phase of their life not only the educational aspect but the social aspect prepares them for the real world. To my freshman self, I would say just stay focused on your goals and handle your business, you’ll fight through the adversity and there’s a lot of bright days ahead.