In the later years of teenhood, bonds are formed that everyone believes will last forever. Memories shared over the same lunch periods and classes create friendships that are held closely to hearts. In some instances, however, these relationships are not as air-tight as they were once believed to be, as explained by seniors who have been through it.
Distance can be a friendship killer, especially during the chaotic years of college. Post high school, it becomes harder to keep in touch with those who were once the most important people around. Going out of state and being busy with college classes make the drift that much more noticeable. The ability to relate begins to slip as lives become more and more different, as Senior Kimberly Nkomo explains her own situation with growing apart. “[Our] conversations were no longer aligning. She’s in a different environment,” Kimberly said about one of her former friends, who now attends college in another state. “I do have friends who are underclassmen … it scares me sometimes,” she further elaborated about the idea of growing apart from them due to her own plans of going out of state for college.
Throughout the years of high school, those who participate in elective classes often make friends in many different grades, and some of them stick, as Senior Frank Niecikowski explains. “The people that I talk to on a regular basis were people that I saw outside of school,” he explained, going on to further state that friendships that need “forced effort,” are likely not the strong friendships that will be worth keeping. The loss of friendships is a difficult and painful experience no matter the circumstances, but Frank explains that, “trying to make new connections that are better and stronger,” will help lessen the blow.
As years pass post-graduation, new experiences will lead to new connections that come with their own challenges. It’s important to remember that there is light at the end of the tunnel, and those that are truly worth it will stick around.
