Student Opinion: Expanding Friendships Expands Your Horizon
Launch the media gallery 1 playerHave you ever looked over your shoulder and noticed someone not from your school standing in one of the front rows of your student section? Honestly, it was probably me.
Over the past couple of years, I have been opening my friend group circle out to other schools. I have gained so many lifelong friendships from this and many other positive things.
Not everyone is the type to go out and talk to other people from different schools. Reasons being maybe you think you have no need to since you have people from your own school. Or maybe since you don’t know them well or heard something about them without talking to them, you could be scared to even go up to them. From my experience, yes, when you first meet someone, the natural thing to do is be nervous and scared of them. You might think things like, “What if they don’t like me?” or “What do they already know about me?” But it is important to not get into your head when first meeting someone. Just being yourself and having a genuine interaction with them is the best you can do.
I think there is a lot to be gained from putting yourself out there and meeting new people. Interactions like these can help now and in the future with communication skills, active listening, and leadership skills to name a few. With obviously not being at the same school yet still wanting to hang out or maybe go to the other school’s game, something I have learned to do is to talk and communicate ideas and figure times, places, and whatever else needs to be asked.
Another thing to remember is that when having conversions and other things, to actually listen to others. Timing and activities can cancel plans or make it harder to do things together. With listening to one another, it is easier to figure these things out. Making plans causes people to maybe be indecisive. Someone is going to need to step up in the leadership role to help organize planning or just decide where to go eat or whatever it is to you want to do.
But I think it’s worth it to do these things. Not only will you enjoy these people you surround yourself with now, whether that is going to a football game and joining their student section to beat their town rivals, or going to join another school at their state game, or even bringing in outside people to your own school activities, but you will also create lasting friendships and memories. High school is only four years of your life. Yes, at times it may seem like it stretches on forever, but looking ahead, it is just a small time-frame within your life. You are not going to have the same schedule for your whole life. You have so much more like college and jobs ahead of you. Something to do is to make sure you have people you can trust. People in your group that will help you, not only in these short four years, but beyond them. When you choose who you surround yourself with now, it is important to pick the people who are best for you. Not everyone is going to talk every day on the phone once you graduate, and drifting apart can happen. Not everyone you hang out with is going to end up in the same job type as you. So it’s important to keep your friend group broad and interact with as many people as possible.
High school is just a short amount of time. Go out to that movie, drive around listening to music, go shopping, change the town you go out in, and try that new place to eat. Have interactions not only with your classmates and kids from your school, but with kids from other schools as well. All of these interactions with others will not only gain you lifelong skills, but also friendships to have now and after these years.