As I pushed open the front door of the school, I felt like it held the weight of the world. It was my first day at a new school, and even worse, it was the middle of the semester. At this school, I didn’t know a soul and that is what really terrified me.

When I walked into my first class, I was immediately greeted by a sea of inquiring eyes. Who is she? Where did she come from? They seemed to say. Naturally shy, I ducked my head and walked to an open seat in the back of the room.
Over the course of the year, I (gradually) opened up and started talking to more and more people. I was nice to everybody and in return, people were nice to me. I made friends in different grades and from different groups.
I remember one day I was sitting at lunch with one of my friends and she asked me what my plans for the weekend were, to which I said, “I’m sleeping over at Stacey’s house tonight.”
Before I finished, my friend made a face and said, “Wow, why are you hanging out with her? I can’t stand her.”
Those two sentences made me angry, but the thing that really angered me was when I asked why she couldn’t even provide me with a legitimate answer. All she said was, “I just don’t.”

Since the beginning of my high school career, I have looked around everyday and seen people walk around in their groups almost like they’re a source of protection from every other “outside” person. These people do not look and really see the other people around them. I see this and I can’t help but wonder why they are afraid. What makes them scared to reach out to people outside of their group? Why can’t they get to know them for who they really are as opposed to listening to what they hear from their peers? When will people learn to think for themselves?

Being the new student helped to open my eyes to how shallow and narrow-minded high school students can be. It has saddened me, made me regretful, and has even infuriated me. But the one thing that it has done is made me determined: Determined to help my friends see beauty, and glamour, and wealth is only skin deep. Determined to keep on making friends, regardless the thoughts of others. Determined to help people understand what someone wears, or how they dress or talk doesn’t make them who they are. After all, people are just people. And every person deserves a chance.