Peyton, Senior

“Excluding yourself and not being bold is one of the biggest mistakes in high school I have made. [We are in] one of the most unique social situations we get to experience in our lives. We are surrounded by many different people, yet so many people stick to one group of people, or no people at all. I fell into this trap early on in high school but realized, after feeling really lonely, that it’s okay to not have one group of friends. I was determined to find a group of friends that I could stick with throughout my high school years. I was worried about being seen as an outsider or not being accepted by others, so I gravitated towards a group of people who I thought were similar to me. It takes so much courage to step out and meet people you never thought you’d be friends with, like freshman, or people in different classes, but it’s so worth it. The second I allowed myself to expand my scope of people and who I choose to love, the more free and less lonely I felt. My involvement in the school’s track team and cross country also helped me to expand my social circle, I met people from different grade levels and schools, and some of them became my closest friends. It also has led me to meet so many different people, not just from Kings but also other schools as well. Some of those people have helped me find a lot of friends that I will keep for life, not just in high school. By letting myself be bold and making new friends and reaching out to people on my track and cross country team, it has helped me learn one of my biggest lessons in high school.”