by Carter Braun ’23

Entering high school in 2019, I stood 5’2” tall. My peers towered over me and made life in high school intimidating. Although I wasn’t scared of the upperclassmen, I was so little in comparison to them, that it was a continual reminder that I was not the king of the school like I was the year prior in middle school. This was hard to swallow, and I found myself trying to fit in with the older kids in my classes by being talkative and chiming in on their conversations. In retrospect, that was definitely not the best way to make junior and senior friends.

I had a bad habit during my freshman year of being someone that I wasn’t. I tried to make myself look “cooler” and go out of my way to participate in actions that brought attention to me but not always in a positive light. I sometimes got in trouble during class for acting up, but it seemed worth it to get the attention.

This changed on March 13, 2020, when Covid-19 shut down in-person school for more than a year. Coincidentally, the pandemic was what I needed to look deep within myself and realize that not only was I happier by being myself, but I could also make more friends that way. I began to focus on doing things my way and not the way I thought I needed to be to fit in. I started doing better in school, feeling healthier mentally, and all in all, I made more real friends who liked me for the real me.

When we returned to in-person learning in the fall of 2021 I had grown both mentally and physically. I was an avid listener and participant in my classes, I was social but not overly outgoing, and I stood at 5 ’11”. This growth made me feel comfortable as Carter Braun and realize that I am happy the way that I am, and that the best way to make friends is to simply be yourself.