As school slows and summer creeps closer, it’s finally time to start hanging out with friends again. While I love and enjoy spending time with all my friends, there’s a special place in my heart for those in grades above me.
Something about having close friends who are older than you makes coming to school feel worth it, and the amazing part of high school is that there are so many opportunities to have classes with and meet people of all different grades. The first class I ever took at Jackson-Reed was filled with almost exclusively sophomores and juniors, which seemed daunting, but I quickly made friends with many of them, and it wound up being my favorite class.
As I’ve grown up and worked my way through the grades, I’ve come to appreciate friends older than me much more than I used to. Not only are they fun to be around, but they also have invaluable knowledge that has been beneficial to my success in school.
The number of suggestions I’ve taken to plan my classes for the upcoming year is insane. They give me information on the college admissions process and what AP classes will actually help me in the future, all of which I’m extremely grateful for.
The other, potentially most important part of befriending upperclassmen is that many of them can drive, meaning you, as the metaphorical adopted child, will obviously benefit from that aspect. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve begged for a ride home, or just been picked up on the way somewhere, and I’m eternally grateful to my juniors who’ve dropped me off at home, especially after long days.
The weekends I get to spend with friends in different grades are the ones that make meaningful impacts. From a simple lunch run to a multi-person carpool-turned-karaoke-session, laughing with people you don’t see every day are the memories that will stick with you. So, if you get invited to go to Target with a couple of people you don’t necessarily see all the time, just go – I promise you’ll have fun.
No matter how old you are, meeting people with different experiences and of different ages is vital to shaping the person you become. We’re incredibly lucky to attend a school where interacting with those kinds of people is made easy, and taking advantage of those relationships will undoubtedly end up being one of the best things you can do with your time here.
So, as the seniors graduate, and everyone moves up a grade, take some time to thank your older friends for all they do for you. Leverage the opportunities to make new friends across the grades as classes roll into the next school year, because you never know, they might just become some of your favorite people. •