“I cannot wait to graduate high school.” This is a mantra I have been repeating out loud since my first college acceptance came in the mail. However, as the first semester draws to a close, I have come to realize that the normalcy of seeing my friends every day is soon to go away.

There are certain friends I have that I refer to as my “school friends.” These are people that I only see in a school environment and would likely not hang out with in another scenario. After I go away to college, these friendships will certainly not be the same or may not exist at all. I will not be able to explain the entire plot of Harry Potter to my tablemate in AP Lit, learn what it’s like being a cheerleader in physics or make contracts with the football players in my culinary class wagering the food we make on the outcome of the game (this ended very quickly as I happened to lose the contract when it did not go my way, and have since not been able to convince them to sign something). 

I was faced with this fact as soon as I stepped into my culinary class this year.  Being the only senior in the class, I knew absolutely no one going into the class. It was just me, a handful of juniors and a lot of sophomores and freshmen. As someone who has never taken a non-music or language elective and has been with a similar group of students since my freshman year, this class was full of people I had never met before. Additionally, my first impression of the class was not the most positive, but if I wanted to have a good time in the class, I knew I needed to get to know people. While my affability may have been initially off-putting to many in the class, after some time I began to form friendships with many students in the class. I have thoroughly enjoyed learning about the sports they play and why they enjoy it, having debates about what the cell phone policy should be and singing songs off-key while cooking. It has not always been easy, but I am so thankful for everyone in that class. My opinion has since changed and I’ve realized that I enjoy walking into culinary class every day, and it’s something that I’ll miss when I leave East for good. 

I would not have had a conversation with any of these people in any other scenario, but I am so happy that I have come across all of them in my high school career. I have learned something from all of them, and I have gained a new perspective on all of their experiences in high school, making me appreciate it just a little bit more. 

My dad has always told me, “Don’t wish your life away,” whenever I complain about school or say that I wish I were in college already. While initially I brushed it off, I have come to realize there was some truth to it. In less than six months, there will be no more contracts drawn, Harry Potter plots to explain or cheer vocabulary to learn from these people I happened to sit by in class. So maybe I can wait to graduate high school, at least for a bit.