Recently, I was in study hall, and happened to be sitting next to two freshmen discussing Of Mice and Men for an assignment they had. Upon hearing the names “Lenny and George,” suddenly I’m 14 again, in my freshman year English class, having no idea the journey high school was about to take me on. As seniors finish out the last months of their high school career, we all end up saying the same thing: “That went by so fast.”
Change throughout high school is inevitable. Your friends will change, perhaps your interests, or even your personality. If I had to say one thing about the experience, high school is what you make of it, and I happen to agree with all the teachers telling you “get involved!”
Join new electives: you never know what may interest you. Join clubs: you’ll meet a ton of people and make incredible memories.
I know this first hand. I was not in the newspaper club freshman year, and here I am writing for The Broadcaster. I did not know what I wanted to study in college junior year, and decided to take the brand new journalism elective, and now I want to pursue a career in journalism. You truly never know what could happen when you step outside of your comfort zone, and it has not just been me. It has also been my friends, siblings, and fellow students that have had the same experience.
When you join clubs and electives, you have the chance to meet people from every grade, which is something incredibly valuable to the high school experience. I will always stand by the fact that the friends you make in grades above and below you are going to become some of the most impactful friendships you make.
Just think, you have been around the same people in the same classes for 9 years! I remember being apprehensive about being in classes with upperclassmen as a freshman, but it was through these classes that I met the most amazing people, and created memories I will never forget.
I keep reiterating that you should branch out, but that can come with a lot of nerves. Honestly, I understand why you, as a freshman, might feel that way. It is totally normal, I was too! So was every senior you’ll talk to, even those who don’t want to admit it. However, the friendships and memories made in these classes, clubs, and sports, are some that seniors would never trade. If you don’t want to simply take my word for it, take it from some more Seniors from the Class of 2026.
I asked my classmates the question, “if you could go back, what would you tell your freshman self?” What seemed like a simple question, made these seniors stop and think for a while. This should be proof in itself of the journey high school will take you on!
Now that I gave you my advice, I’ll leave you with some from my class. All in all, enjoy it, take all high school has to offer, and leave with no regrets.
