It has been two whole years since I moved to my new town. Two whole years. So much has changed in those past two years, both personally and professionally. Now that I am almost a senior, I realize that an important element to that growth was having the chance to be included.

Imagine seeing a fellow peer in the hallway, that you've never seen before. They look lonely, scared, and dejected. They feel like that they will never adjust to their new environment, coming from the drastically different one that they lived in their whole life, and about to give up any hope of meeting someone new or ever fitting in. It was bad enough that you did not necessarily "fit in" in your old school. I was that person, until someone was brave enough to say the first "hello." When that one special person (who eventually became my first friend in my new school) said that, all of my pre-existing fears went away. It was fascinating to have people actually want to come up to me and get to know me for once. Being the new kid put me in a position I never thought I would get to. Me, having to break away from my shell? Crazy and insane! At that moment, I had an epiphany. I realized, "Hey, this school might not be too bad after all." I was somewhat of an outcast in my old school, and it did not help that I was extremely shy on top of it. I knew I had to make a good impression in my new school, so I would get a chance to start over. Seeing all these strange new people was frightening to me. I felt like a foreigner, lost in a whole new world. I knew that this environment would take a while to get used to, and all I could do at that moment was try to be open to it as possible.

Everyone was fascinated to see a new kid in town, so they were looking at me all funny. All I could do was wave a friendly hello and have a nice smile. With everyone stuck in their own little world, I knew I had to break out of my shell to get into their world. The school culture was much different from my previous high school. It was much smaller, and most of the students knew each other their whole lives and spent the majority of their school careers together. My middle school was much similar to that, but going into high school, I spent my freshmen year with kids from various different towns, not just my own. Here, it was one big town (the one I moved to) and one smaller town (the smaller town only had 50 kids per grade!). It's funny that even though I moved only a half-hour away from my prior town, so many changes occur, from the environment and town itself to the schools. I thought about that expression, "You are a product of your environment." Honestly, it is so true in ways I never thought possible. My old town was a more upscale town, and was so spread out from the rest of the world. This new town was not like that. I could actually walk to places, and not get a ride everywhere I went. People were actually interested in getting to know me too! Little did I know, it only went uphill from there.

In the almost two years that I have moved, many things have changed. I have made new friends, some friendships lasting and others not. I am actively involved in my school, and I am about to graduate. Honestly, both towns that I have lived in have their pros and cons, and I could happily say this new town has more pros.

To the kids entering into a new school; the best advice I can give to you is to be open to new experiences. Coming from personal experience, having an open mind can get you really far in a new environment. Another thing to get adjusted into a new school is to get involved as much as possible, whether it would be in clubs, sports, or anything in between. You will be much happier and having an easier time making new friends as well. Moving is not an easy process. Moving is one of the most difficult things you will deal with, especially if you are settled in that environment. Even if you have moved a lot, it is still hard. Still, it is important to keep an open mind, because you'll never know what will happen. If you have a hard time adjusting, go to a teacher or a parent, or someone else that you trust and have them help you out. Again, keeping an open mind will keep you far, and I promise it'll get better. It may not seem that way right now but it will. I hope you have used this to your benefit, whether you are new or no longer new. I hope my advice will help you in any way imaginable, and good luck in the future.