Quinn Franken: Quality over Quantity

The first friends I made after moving here 10 years ago are the same friends I am celebrating my graduation with. Whether I am extremely lucky, or was somehow able to spot amazing people at age eight, I made life-long friends that year.

After going through elementary school, and then middle school with them I was nervous about what high school was going to do to our relationship. Seeing movies and hearing stories it seemed like high school is where you made your group of friends, and that was what I was fully expecting. As freshman and sophomore year passed, while I of course did make a few friends along the way, I still only had my two good friends. I appreciated their place in my life, but I felt like I was missing some of the “high school experience.” I did not really know how our small friendship shaped me as a person until the last two years of
high school.

Like every other kid in high school, I was struggling with who I was as a person and what I wanted to do with my life. When we began to see our differences in interests, instead of drifting apart, they respected my decisions and interests. We began to tailor the dynamic of our relationship to fit our lifestyles in order to keep each other close. The constant evolution of our friendship is what made me remotely enjoy my high school experience. I had found friends that helped me grow as a person and showed me how to grow in relationships. I never had a large group of friends, but I got the better end of the deal with a few amazing friends who have never left my side.

The advice I would give to my fellow classmates is to stay close to the friends that make you feel good about yourself when you are with them and that you know will always support you. Walk alongside people you are proud to be friends with and who build you up.