On the bright morning of Aug. 17, 2021, I attended my first day as a junior in high school at Munster High School. The nerves were churning at my stomach and my stomach was churning as I had zero clue where any of my classes were and the structure of a regular high school day at MHS.

I remember walking into my first-period class which was English 11 with Mr. Stepnoski. Now with this class, I was able to meet some good friends today.  They encouraged me to go out to sporting events, social events and school dances. The feeling of being in a new world where everyone knows each other, but you know no one, especially in high school, is frightening. You could compare me to an incoming freshman with no idea what’s going on. 

As the year went on and I met new people it made me realize how much easier school is if you let other people into your life instead of waiting for them to come to you. Now as a senior, this year with roughly thirty-odd days left of the school year, I look back on the times of awkward interactions with people. These interactions helped me break my shell and I could not be more thankful for them.

The relationship that I developed with my teammates playing basketball or even my classmates if there is one takeaway from this new adventure for me would be: Do not let fear be the reason for missing out on friendships and a good time. 

Shying away from more and more people ended up putting me in a place that made me feel lost. 

The minute that I started to engage more and feel like I belonged at Munster was the moment that I knew that life began to be more fun and that school no longer felt like it was a chore. If it were not for that first-period class at 8 am learning about different types of novels such as “The Great Gatsby” and preparing for the SAT, I would not have been exposed to the friends, teachers and coaches I associate with today.