My Transition from Freshman to Sophomore Year

Anna Kulak, JTC Journal Features Editor

Freshman year will more than likely be the most awkward and horrifying year of your life. Not only are you forced to participate in painful ice breakers in every class, stating your name, age, and one of your countless, boring interests, but you’re the baby class of the entire school, and they never let you forget it. You make new friends in all your hour-long classes, form a daily routine during passing periods, and establish your lunch table. Coming from a small school in Elwood, Illinois, this was especially difficult for me. Meeting new people and recognizing familiar faces throughout the year was the most rewarding because I still have most of the same friends from freshman year. As difficult and frightening as it may have been, freshman year was the most fun year of my life so far. As much as I enjoyed it, when 9th grade was ending, and summer was nearing, I can recall being so excited to not have the title of a freshman anymore. The summer between 9th and 10th grade was full of adventures and excitement for the school year to follow. Obviously, that changed when August 21st, the first day of school, rolled around. The new school year came with a new schedule, more new people, and a new routine to get used to. Not only was I prepared for the new changes, having been through them already, but I was passionate to be back in the classroom and learning. I’ve only been a sophomore for 17 days, so I don’t have much experience, but in my two and a half weeks, I’ve learned a thing or two. The friends you make freshman year, the relationships you build, and the bonds you think will last a lifetime, probably won’t last throughout your four years of high school. Things change, life happens, and your friend group, your morals, values, and beliefs will change as well. The “best four years of your life,” may start out as the worst, but it gets better, you get stronger, and life goes on for all of us.