We all go away to school with dreams about what our futures will be like. Have you ever stopped and wondered who would be involved in your future? Who would play a major role? Most of us go to school with the hopes of meeting new people, gaining new friendships that would last a lifetime. It’s crazy that the people you do meet in college could actually be your bridesmaids at your wedding.

When going to college, we don’t just throw our pasts away. We keep them in a special place in our hearts. They hold sacred memories that should be cherished throughout the years. The people involved in those memories are friends that should never be forgotten, friends that should never be left behind. The friends that helped make these memories were the people that shaped you to be who you are today. Most people go away to school thinking that they are going to start over, become someone different. However, most people end up getting a friend group that resembles their past friend groups.

My group of friends from high school all went to different colleges in states away from one another. I went to school knowing four boys from my high school, but no one else. I was friendly with these boys, however, they were not in my immediate friend group. As my first year and a half of college went by, I gained a close-knit group of friends. Looking back and analyzing the personalities of my new friend group, I’ve learned that each one is very similar to the personalities of my friends from home.

One of my best friends from college is almost the exact same as my best friend from high school. The only difference is that she is not a dancer, has a different major, and lives in a different state. However, they both have the same taste in music, love to sing and doodle, and make silly jokes about the most random things. They haven’t met each other in person yet, but I can’t wait for the day they do. My best friends from home are not replaceable, but neither are my friends from college.

We tell ourselves that we don’t want to lose touch with our friends from high school when we go away to college. However, our schedules get busy, and it gets difficult to talk to each person as often as we would like. Gaining new friendships in college is our way of staying in touch with our friends from home. It’s an indirect method we use to make sure we feel comfortable with those around us.

Making friends in a new place can be difficult. We use our instincts to search for the characteristics that we are used to. We long for the friendships that we had in high school. Though many people have the goal of starting over, they hold onto specific things within their pasts. It is done without thinking. It is done without realizing. It is done because those people in the past belong in your future. They’ve made a mark on your life for a reason and are supposed to keep making footsteps in your journey.

Here’s a test: Take a moment. Think back to when you were in college, and if you are still in college, think about all of the memories made so far. Who were your best friends? Do they resemble your friend from high school? Chances are, your friends in college had very similar personalities to your friends in high school. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, it shows what kind of people you like to surround yourself with. The people who you associate yourself with actually make you who you are as a person. They help shape your personality. Whether you know it or not, many of them aspire to have characteristics that you portray or vice versa.

Friendship is like a glass slipper, fragile but sacred. The people in our lives are there for a reason. They are there to imprint on our lives, making memories that will last a lifetime. They may not be there for our whole journey, but they are there for specific parts. These people are our friends, and their responsibility is to make remembrances that we can laugh about, cry about, and talk about in the near future. The people we surround ourselves with shape us to be the people we were always meant to be. Without our friends, we would be lost in our own paths, our memories lost in the dust. Seize this moment and thank those around you for every memory, for all of the good times. Thank them for being in your life and for sharing the opportunity to walk the footsteps you have walked.