As someone who hates change, I was dreading high school. I felt comfortable going to a school with familiar people and great friends, and the thought of learning in a larger environment with new faces scared me. 

When I entered freshman year and started to adjust to the high school my worries started to slip away. In my freshman year gym class, I met my now best friend (shoutout Sarah), who happens to be from Southborough (I’m from Northborough). Our friendship has taught me to be more open when it comes to meeting new people and to not be afraid to put myself in unfamiliar situations, because you never know what could happen. 

My freshman year, I signed up for cross country, joined clubs and went to school events, because I wanted to achieve my version of the ultimate high school experience. And to be honest, I regret none of it. I don’t regret challenging classes, because I believe that they made me develop a stronger work ethic that I now will have for the rest of my life. I don’t regret signing up for cross country, even though I am extremely slow; the sport showed me how to stay committed to something.  

Just like many people, I learned a lot of important life lessons in high school. However, the most important lesson I learned is that it’s so important to surround yourself with the right people. For me, I can confidently say that all of my friends bring out the best in me and I bring out the best in them.

My biggest piece of advice is to try everything. I decided to take Journalism, and little did I know, that class would change my life forever. I fell in love with interviewing people and writing articles about them. As soon as the class ended, I joined the Harbinger, which only made me grow my passion for journalism even more; I’m a future journalism major now!

If my eighth-grade self saw me right now, I think she would be truly proud of how I embraced change and the person that I am becoming.