By Nyla ‘24
Making friends? Daunting. Making friends at a new school? Daunting and scary. Making friends at a new school where you know no one? Daunting and scary and terrifying. At least that’s how I felt before coming to Harvard-Westlake. The anxiety I felt about having to make new friends at a new school as the only person coming from my small elementary school is something I never want to feel again. If you’re like me, hopefully this blog will help ease some of your nerves.
The time I was most scared about making friends was before I even started school. There was so much anticipation and it was hard to believe that I would find friends. However, quickly after my first day at HW, I realized that so many other people were also nervous and terrified about starting a new school. I also quickly realized how many events and programs HW organizes to help people meet each other—from welcome events before a new school year and the Fast Start program, to sport teams and clubs, HW is always providing opportunities to find your people.
New is scary but my nerves were quickly soothed after seeing that every other new and returning student was so excited to welcome new friends into the HW family. It was surprisingly easy to just approach people during break or lunch and poof! I had made new friends at HW! In addition to just walking up and saying hi to people in my classes, in the cafeteria, and during passing periods, joining clubs and participating in extracurricular activities that I really love helped me meet and form connections with other students that enjoy the same things. There are many students who come to HW knowing other kids from their sending schools so it was easy for me to feel like I was the only one going through the experience of starting alone. But, everyone was so eager to meet new people and even those who came to HW with a bunch of friends branched out. Coming to HW and starting at this new school simply does not compare to any other school, because of how open, welcoming, and close-knit the community at HW is. This is something that everybody in the HW community understands and prides themselves on. I don’t think I can completely erase anyone’s nerves with just one blog post, but I hope when you feel those similar nervous feelings you remember that everybody around you is going through the same emotions, same nervousness, and same excitement!
