Ever since I was little, I have always dreamt of being a high school student because that meant I would be a responsible teenager. However, when the time came for my first day of high school as a freshman, I was terrified.

I would be the underdog again and I was so scared that I wouldn’t be accepted by anyone there. So when the time came, I tried my best to stay as far away from upperclassmen as possible. Sadly, my plan didn’t work because in the Powell High School band, it is not separated by grade like it is in middle school. Because of my placement in the band, I had to sit surrounded by upperclassmen with no other freshmen by me.

But because of this placement, I have made the best friends that I could ever have.

It was in that chair that I made friends with sophomores, juniors and senior who were much nicer than I imagined them to be. But what I didn’t occur to me at the time was graduation.The seniors graduate in May and I was stuck in that same chair, watching them accomplish great things without me. It was then that I realized having senior friends was a blessing and a burden on my life.

I went through the rest of that year attempting to only stay close to the select upperclassmen, so when the time came, I would have other friends to rely on. This plan ultimately was going great until I got to my sophomore year. It was then that I discovered my passion for theatre, where there were a lot of upperclassmen because many people my age only cared about sports. Trying to fit in, I made friends, not knowing those friends would later go on to graduate without me, just like before.

Since my freshman year, I have had to watch people I became incredibly close to graduate from their time paid in the public school system. I watched them walk across that stage, receiving their diploma they worked so hard for. I cry every single year because at that time, I know they are not thinking about all of the times that we shared. They are imagining what they are going to do with their future. They are thinking about what lies ahead of them rather than looking back. They are looking into their future with that cap on their head and a diploma in their hand while I am in the crowd, tears escaping my eyes, thinking about all of the times I shared with them that I can no longer experience because they are starting a new chapter in their life.

But it is because of these times that the tears fall down my cheeks at graduation. It’s because of these memories that I will miss some of the best friends I have ever had. It’s because of these memories that I cannot wait to see what they will do with their lives.

No matter how emotional I am when it is time for them to leave, I will always be happy for them because I know they are going to inspire so many people around them just like they have inspired me. It is because of their friendships and their kindness that I believe I can do great things in my life as well.

I have come to realize these friendship, the unexpected ones, the one where you know they are going to leave this town and accomplish great things with their life before you even leave high school, are the best ones. It is in these friendships that I find the love and support that everyone needs. It is here that I find that friendships are meant to help you truly become something and because of all of the seniors I have befriended, I have learned how to accomplish so much in my life. They have inspired me day in and day out, and I wouldn’t change our friendships for anything.

I know that I wanted to not have to deal with the heartbreak of having to see all of my friends go, but now I see it not as a heartbreak, but as a proud moment. When I see them walk across that stage, I won’t be crying tears of sadness, they will be tears of joy because I can only imagine the great things they are going to do in their lives. This year, I will watch my best friends cross that stage, leaving this school behind. Once they leave for college, I will be a memory, along with everything else here.

But for me, they won’t be just a memory.

They will be the people who have taught me to have faith in myself and others. They will be the people who pushed me to be the best I could be. They are the people who showed me who I really am and accepted me for who I am. They are the definition of true friends because they didn’t have to befriend a freshman like me, but they did.

And now it’s my junior year I wouldn’t change a thing. No matter how many tears I will shed on that dreadful day, I am so grateful for this year’s senior class because without them, I know I, and many others, wouldn’t be who we are now.