On the day of freshman orientation, the whole world is just a little scary.  Being done with middle school and just started on high school, new freedoms and restrictions are celebrated, and life really is set in a different light.  Link crew helps welcome them with a few classic games they’d all played since elementary school years branching out from the gym.   They give them a tour, and then set them free.  They run around and into each other in a frenzy, trying to quickly find classes after all the link crew members in the halls have been overwhelmed by their own personal mobs.  Soon the day is over and school really begins, where they’ll cut out a confident smile from their favorite songs, books, or any other pump-yourself-up material, and paste it on for upperclassmen to see.  As days turn to weeks that turn to months, soon they relax and fall into more of a pattern.  They aren’t quite settled, but their life becomes somewhat routine again.

Earlier this year, that was me.  I’m used to being moved around a lot, and finding new patterns.  Nothing really lasted in my life, and I never completely found a place before this year.  I was satisfied to watch all the other freshman panic from afar, and found my way with relative ease.  High school was only a slightly more demanding version of every other move.  Social schemes were the same, classes were the same, teachers were basically the same.  Only this year, the CT community made school something to enjoy.  

Don’t get me wrong, I was challenged and at one point hated this year more than anything else.  But soon I made friends that made everything better.  Being a freshman means new pressures of dealing with upperclassmen, often our first extreme social pressures through drugs and alcohol, and finding yourself.  I came in with no true friends, and home struggles many of you couldn’t dream up. It was hard.  But even though you faced different struggles, it was hard for you too.

No matter your background, everyone’s story of how they came into high school sounds a little bit like someone else’s.  most of you aren’t alone, you have friends to support you.  Even if you don’t, you’ll find some soon.  No one who actually tries their hardest at life has to spend eternity alone, and you won’t be the first.  You are more than a figure.  You have just the right friend, someone perfect for you, just waiting. Keep going, and you’ll find them.  And whether you’re a freshman or a senior, keep on going.  You are beautiful, and CT seeks to remind you that.

Freshman year helped me find myself and confidence for the first time.  The first year of high school should help everyone find themselves, because for many it’s the first time they have an opportunity to.  So don’t allow the upperclassmen to belittle you when you come in next year. Show them how strong we are together. As one door closes, another opens.   As one year ends, another begins.  So let’s make next school year our best yet, and welcome in the freshmen.  It’s a hard time, but one of the most important.  We have a new generation of tomorrow’s doctors, lawyers, firefighters, politicians, and so much more on our doorstep- so let’s make sure they never forgot freshman year.  Let’s unite to remember this- WE ARE CT.