In just a few months, I’ll be leaving behind my friends and family in Elkhorn, Neb. to move twelve hours away and start a new chapter at Texas Tech University – a journey that feels both thrilling and overwhelming.
It still doesn’t feel real that I’m the only one in my friend group moving twelve hours away for college. Everyone else is staying relatively close to home – same state, same city, and some even attending the same school. Meanwhile, I’m packing up my entire life into boxes and preparing to start fresh in a place I’ve only visited once, surrounded by people I’ve never met.
At first, I was excited. The idea of going somewhere new, being independent, and experiencing life on my own terms sounded exactly like what I needed. But as the months pass and the big move inches closer, a new feeling has started creeping in – loneliness.
What’s been hitting me the hardest is the thought that life for my friends will keep going without me, and I won’t be a part of it. They’ll still hang out on the weekends, go to our favorite spots, and send inside jokes in the group chat. It’s hard to imagine them having fun, being together, and not thinking of inviting me – not because they don’t care, but because I won’t be around.
I keep wondering how it will feel to scroll through social media and see photos from nights I wasn’t a part of, and stories I won’t know the full details of. It’s like I’m already mourning something that I haven’t even lost yet.
As heavy as that feeling is, I know this isn’t the end of my friendships – it’s just a new chapter in all of our lives. And just like they’ll keep growing in their own ways, so will I. Being twelve hours away means I’ll get the chance to meet new people. People who are also figuring it all out, just like me. I’ll find new friends, new routines, and new places that feel like home. There will be new group chats, new invites, and new memories waiting for me – ones I can’t even imagine yet.
It’s scary, no doubt. But it’s also very exciting. I’ll always love my high school friends and be forever thankful for the four years of memories that we have made together, but I’m ready to step into something new. Change is hard, but it doesn’t mean losing everything. It just means making room for something new.
If I could give anyone one piece of advice, it would be to truly enjoy every moment of high school and never take the time you have with your friends for granted. It’s easy to get caught up in the stress of classes, grades, and planning for the future, but some of the best memories you will ever make come from the small, unexpected moments – laughing in the hallways, late-night talks, or cheering at games. These four years fly by faster than you think, and before you know it, you’ll be saying goodbye. So be present, make time for the people who matter, and don’t be afraid to have fun.
