In life one thing that is consistent is the relationships that you create every day. Whether they are friendships, family, or romantic, it is something that every individual does. As kids we all have that one "first" childhood friend that lived across the street or you called your "cousin" even though you had no real blood relation.

These relationships have stuck with us throughout our lives, whether you still talk, or the friendship faded. But these memories are instilled in us as people, which usually creates a foundation for our future relationships off of those experiences with those people.

Through my life much like everyone else, I have had a large number of relationships come and go. Whether they came to an end due to them not treating me right or simply growing apart. Through all of the different friendships, I have learned the value of people. Having valuable people in your life is something to be treasured because those people are the ones that stick around.

As human beings, everyone wants to be valued and seen as valuable. So, more often than not, we try to make others feel that same way. In friendships, your time should be valued and you should value the other person's time as well. Being a college student and in my early twenties, people are so incredibly temporary at this point in my life.

Think about it, in college there are no cliques or friendship expectations you just meet mass amounts of people. In comparison to high school when everyone felt they were held to a certain standard, this is an entirely different time. This is no longer that season where everyone wants to be friends with the "popular" kids.

While attending college and trying to find the "right people" I found I had already met some of the right people, which are my childhood friends from home that I continue to talk to. I choose to interact with them because I feel they are worth my time and energy. As for all the other surface-level relationships of high school, I chose to let them fade because there was not anything beneficial to them, they were just people I had to see every day.

I think everyone has struggled with people assuming you're a certain way just because of the people you hang out with. Everyone has heard the term "you are who you hang out with". I genuinely believe that quote is true.

As college students beginning our adult lives, we all have many aspirations that we want to accomplish. When transitioning to college, choosing to focus on creating authentic friendships has been a positive contribution to my overall college experience.

When thinking of my top five friends, I am proud to be established within my friend group. Through my friendships, each girl and guy pushes me to become the "Kartnie" I strive to be. Each of my friends cheers me on for my accomplishments and helps me start my future ones. Having people value you in your life, pushes you to value yourself, which is something that every college kid should hope for in their friendships.

At this point in our lives, every decision we make affects our future. Establishing those true friendships with the right people will help ensure your success as a person and help make the road to success a little less lonesome.