High school has been the best time of my life. I can hardly remember the days of being a nervous freshman worried about showering in gym class. From the first day, I realized that this was not going to be like middle school. That experience wasn’t all that bad, but I was made fun of a little. I was a slightly overweight kid, with “coke bottle” glasses. The summer before my freshman year is when I made the promise to myself to become a “cool kid”. (I never wanted to conform; I just wanted people to sit with at lunch.) So, I went on a diet, got a job, and bought contacts. I was set! On the first day, I went straight to the source. I went to the biggest table I could find, which of course was filled with seniors, and sat down. To my surprise I wasn’t immediately dealt with. I was actually allowed to stay. Taking this risk at “social suicide” resulted in something I could have only dreamt of.

The seniors didn’t have to let me sit there but they did. I didn’t understand, but I was grateful. In time I grew “cool” enough to be invited to parties and weekend trips, things that before, were only ever talked about in front of me. I was thrust into a new world, but in the arms of my newfound friends I felt safe, and pushed forward. Sometimes I got wrapped up in maintaining my new persona, and other times it would feel completely natural. Either way, I loved it. Each day, waking up and knowing that when I went to school, people would know me, and I’d have people to talk to, was like heaven.

Now I’m one of those seniors. I understand now, why they allowed me to sit with them. They had been in my shoes. They knew what it was like to be afraid, and they were impressed by courage. I have lived by their example and have helped to open the door to this exciting world to any freshman brave enough to knock. I give respect to the freshman that come up to me for help. I was in their shoes not 4 years ago. I understand now, that without risk, there is no way to improve.

The friends I made my freshman year have been with me ever since. More than my friends, they were my guides. They helped me learn the ways of a land in which I was drastically unfamiliar. They were undoubtedly the most important part of my high school life. My friends perpared me for high school and everything to follow. They made me feel safe, and wanted. I thank them.