Most people throughout high school associate themselves with one “friend group”,

typically related to their sports, clubs, activities, or classes. I have never been one to confine

myself to one specific group, probably because I never fit in with just one specific group.

Personally, I associate myself with all different groups from cheerleading, orchestra, track,

students in common core classes, or even the National Honors Society. Because I have involved

myself in so many different environments, I have also surrounded myself with several different

types of people. Exposing myself to such unique individuals truly made me a well-rounded

person.

The group I have associated with for the longest amount of time would be the

cheerleaders. I have been in cheerleading since second grade with the same, very cliquey, girls. I,

however, was never welcomed into those cliques. The cheerleaders on my squad were very

stereotypical, but being around them has taught me a lot about myself. These types of people

have taught me independence and leadership. Never having been included in those cliques made

me want to stand above them and become more accomplished. Those same girls who never let

me into their friend group motivated and made me the independent person that I am today.

Secondly, I was part of my school’s orchestra throughout junior high and high school.

Being a violinist was very common; however, it was those who I played with that made it

special. Orchestra was not one of those things where one person stood out, we had to work

together to succeed. This class consisted of those who sit in the back and are terrified to speak,

the people with bright green hair and wear all black or even the super-intelligent kids who wear

collared shirts every day. But this organization was something I loved being a part of because

everyone was their unique personality and it gave me communication skills I’ll use for the rest of

my life. I had a chance to open up and get to know people with personalities so different from
my own. More importantly, I gained a new understanding of where people come from that I had

never gotten a chance to hear before.

Lastly, the group that challenged me the most was the people in my basic high school

classes. All my life I was in the gifted or enriched classes with only advanced students. Once in

high school, I decided to take high-level math and science, and lower-level English. In this class,

I was surrounded by students who just barely passed their classes, rarely did homework, and

didn’t care how they did on tests. Most of these people were my friends and it was a true test of

patience. But these are the classes that I appreciate the most because they made me a more

well-rounded person. I reached out to those who struggled and offered my help. I helped

encourage others to do their work or would remind them of the homework in hopes they'd do it.

Those classes reminded me that not everyone has the same comprehension level and taught me

how to use my abilities to help others who needed me most.

Not all people are simple to understand, and that is a beautiful thing. To think there are

7.9 billion people in this world where everyone is so extremely different is amazing. I am very

grateful that I have been involved in so many different activities and exposed myself to such

diverse groups of people. Being involved in a specific friend group is, but why settle for one

group when you could be friends with so many unique people? I love getting to know new

people and believe everyone should take a leap of faith and get to know someone different

because it truly makes you a better person.