As my time in high school comes to an end, I’d like to take the time to appreciate the friends that have been with me from the very beginning.
I met my best friend, Angelie Weis, 14 years ago and we’ve gone through elementary, middle, and high school together. I couldn’t imagine my life without her. We’ve never been away from each other for a long amount of time, but after this summer, we will be 2,863 miles apart. From meeting at a neighborhood block party to joining band together in middle school to cheering each other on at senior nights, we have been through everything together. I appreciate her more than she will ever know, and I’m so grateful to have her in my life.
When I first started middle school, I knew I wanted to join basketball. On the first day of tryouts, I looked around to see my competition. Immediately, one girl stood out. That girl was Charlize Muyco. She was really good, and honestly, I was terrified of her. Little did I know, she would become one of my best friends. After making the team, Char and I became very close and started hanging out outside of school. Seven years later, we still play on the same team and basketball senior night had me sobbing, thinking this was the last time we would play together. In the fall of 2023, we will be 365 miles apart. I’m so happy to have met Char and I’m so grateful to be friends with her.
Seventh grade was my second year in band and while I am embarrassed to say I was a band kid, there are certain people that made my time in band so much better. I met Eliana Hamamjy during band and although we sat on opposite sides of the classroom, we became best friends. We got a lot closer on the eighth grade trip to Great America. I remember making a video with her on the Barney Oldfield Speedway ride. “We should recreate this when we can actually drive,” Eliana remarked. We watched that video back a few weeks ago and now we both have our license. It’s so surreal to think that we couldn’t even imagine getting our license back in eighth grade, but now we drive each other everywhere. Eliana is my ride or die, she’s the only person I trust with my entire life. I can’t imagine life without her and I’m so sad we will be 370 miles apart come this fall.
All in all, my best friends have shaped me into the person I am today and I’m so grateful for all of them. Although college is separating all of us, I know we’ll remain in contact and reunite during breaks. To Angelie, Charlize, and Eliana: I love you and I appreciate you so much.