By Joshua ’28
Whenever I tell people in my town that I go to Harvard-Westlake, their first reaction is almost always, “Wow, that’s far.” And it is.
I live in San Marino, a small town right next to Pasadena, which is pretty far from HW. Last year, when I was at the middle school, my bus stop picked me up at 6:21 a.m. This year, the bus comes at 6:43, giving me a luxurious extra twenty minutes of sleep. Even though it’s early, I actually love taking the bus. I was offered to be driven by an upperclassman this year, but taking the bus gives me more time to nap, more friends to hang out with, more time to scroll on my phone, and more space to do homework.
Still, there are challenges that come with living far from school.
Westfield Century City Mall is a central hangout spot for HW kids on our days off. It’s about the same distance as the middle school for me, so it’s not exactly around the corner. It can be hard to arrange transportation to get to and from there, and at times, I get really jealous of the kids who live close to HW. I start thinking about all the transportation time that could be used to do other things, and have a lot of FOMO when I can’t make it to social gatherings.
The distance also affects smaller things that most people at school don’t think about. I can’t just decide to meet a friend to study after school or attend every club meeting that happens in the evening. A lot of times, my schedule revolves around when the bus leaves or when someone can drive. Sometimes I feel like I miss out on parts of the HW that seem normal for others, like spontaneous hangouts, sports games, or even just staying a bit late to talk with teachers.
Therefore, having a local community to rely on is crucial. I have a group chat with four other HW friends in my grade that also live on the East side, and we carpool to school, social gatherings, late start days, or speech tournaments. Having this group chat lets us share our struggle of our commute, and makes us closer as friends. I also have more opportunities to hang out with them on the weekends simply because they live closer. It especially creates less stress on our parents because they can split up the driving, and soon, we will start driving ourselves to places.
However, living far from school has also taught me independence and responsibility. I have developed excellent time management skills to be on top of my rides and schedule. It forces me to plan out my day carefully, and plan out when I can study, rest, and socialize.
Of course, if I had the option to live closer to HW, I would 100% take it. But, if I did, I wouldn’t have met the friends I’ve made on the bus, figured out how to manage my time so well, or learn how to take advantage of my commutes. Living far from school has been challenging, but it’s also shaped me into a more independent, organized, and grateful person. And for that, I’m glad the ride has been long.
