To the high school class of 2016, we did it. We survived midterms of the first semester of college. We lived independently for two months. We entered a whole new world with unfamiliar faces and unknown identities.
It is true - these past two months have flown by and it has been too fast for me to handle.
Perhaps you experienced feelings of homesickness or loneliness. Or maybe you have been counting down the days to see your high school friends again. Or maybe you never want to go back home. These varying sentiments can be unsettling, but truthfully, what is better than lying in that bed back home watching Netflix without being disturbed by a rush of students screaming down the hallway, getting ready for a pregame.
As Thanksgiving approaches, my excitement to see some of my closest friends heightens. We spent so many years with these friends from home; sometimes I just miss those nights spent in the backyard with a clutter of candles, a Bose speaker playing Chance the Rapper, and a group of friends that I now refer to as my family.
Over the past two months, I am sure you have maintained some type of connection with high school friends. This connection, this friendship, this bond cannot be replaced or substituted by anyone at college, for it can only be replicated throughout the years.
I wonder, though - what if my friends have changed? What if their personalities have altered? What if I have transformed my character? All of these thoughts empower my mind, for I am eager to see how this family has developed.
As a teenager who graduated in a class that had a little over 100 students, I really valued those close relationships that I formulated throughout high school. In college, these friendships provided me strength; I leaned on them for advice, for insight of what types of students I want to find on this massive college campus.
Since I came to college, I have experienced these varying emotions - at times I just want to be back in comfort with my old friends and other times I never want to leave this environment. That is what is so amazing about college. We live in this other atmosphere, this place that is completely separate from our lives at home. We cannot attempt to replace or even forget about one of the two “worlds,” but we can learn.
I find myself recollecting memories, remembering experiences from high school. Those memories have defined me, and truly made me the strong, loyal friend that I am today.
However, class of 2016, we started our next chapter, our next obstacle into adulthood. College is our time for discovery, a time for us to make decisions independently and learn from our mistakes. Do not forget about those high school relationships that morphed you, that made you realize what types of people you want to surround yourself with. Good luck on your next journey to finding yourself and creating even stronger relationships with the people that enter your path. See you in a few weeks, class of 2016.
