Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2017. To some, this seems like just another day, another year and another first day of school. But to me, it was the gallows, the day I started school at Powell High School.

Moving from a school of 140 kids K-12 to a school of 540 kids in just the high school is probably the most terrifying life event I’ve ever endured. But I’m not going to sit here and rant about the trials and tribulations of being the “new kid;” I am actually going to do the opposite. Here is a list of five reasons why being the new kid is freaking awesome:

1. Unless you are a complete introvert and social interaction gives you hives, when you’re the new kid, you meet so many new people and make some awesome new friends.
2. You don’t really know anything about anyone so you can avoid the drama (unless you try really hard).
3. New teachers. Sometimes adjusting to new teachers can be difficult, but gaining different perspectives and teaching styles can help you grow in your academics.
4. No one knows who you are or what you’re all about, so you end up responding to a lot of questions about yourself from, well, everyone. Most of the time the questions are all the same, so just have your answers down and get ready to sound like a broken record.
5. For all you ladies out there, being the new girl can be a blessing and a curse. It is a blessing because there is a new pool of dudes, but a curse because all of the guys you don’t want to ask you out, will ask you out. So be careful, and try not to break too many hearts.

In the end, being the new kid is what you make of it, so make it awesome.