Don’t get me wrong, I am delighted to be college now, especially a public one. I grew up in the private school system being nurtured, protected. It is nice to have been eased into the real world! I have made amazing friends at UNT from all over Texas and while I strive to create deep, lasting friendships with my new family I am often reminded of my lifelong friends I can’t leave behind.
My biggest fear upon graduating high school would be that I would never see my best friends again. I spent three wonderful years getting to know my small cozy band like family and a whopping SEVEN years with two women I know will be my future bridesmaids (spoiler!) Not to mention my sweet next door neighbor I grew up with! I was overcome with fear and doubt senior year after accepting the offer to come to UNT, but I am happy to report that with effort, I was able to keep my friendships and continue to build stronger ones! So here's to my roots: thank you for putting up with me and helping me grow stronger as an individual and a woman of God! You all hold me accountable for my actions and offer mercy when I fall. I hope I keep you going in the way you keep me going strong through rough semesters, clubs, change, etc.
These are some of my best friends. We have kept up through a group text for almost two years. It was hard at first but now telling each other everything is second nature again as if we were still in high school. I am so thankful for friends who have my back all over the country and I hope they know I've got their backs here at home too. We plan weekly Google video chats so we can all come together and discuss anything we want. When someone flies back into town we always have a hangout planned!
I spent my spring break in Mexico with none other than my high school band! It was incredible to be able to hang out with the seniors and offer stories and advice when it came to preparing for college, encourage my juniors to power through the year, tell my sophomore babies that high school will fly by, and get to meet the upcoming freshmen! Was it a familiar setting, yes, but I wouldn't trade that spring break for anything!
Now these lovely ladies are my best friends and sisters for life! They'll no doubt be my future bridesmaids when the time comes. We are proof that you can keep a strong friendship even if it seemed destined to fade into the background with high school. Even in college, we have been there to support one another through texts, phone calls, Skype calls, and FaceTime. It's not easy with busy schedules and daunting futures that lie ahead, but once sisters always sisters! As much as social media wants to tell me to leave high school behind I just can't help but find myself drawn back to my roots.
