The game of friendship by Elena

The game of friendship by Elena - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

It was freshman year of high school and all I knew was that my life was going to change- I was going into high school, and all my friends from middle and elementary school were going to the other high school in our district. But I had made a decision just a few months before- to join band. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had known that only 3 kids from band in middle school were going into band at the same high school. But there was one problem- I never talked to them.
At my high school, marching band is required with symphonic band. I didn't really know if I liked the aspect of being forced to march during half time rather than find new friends, go a little crazy, and cheer on the football team. The first day of band camp, in early August, I had never felt so alone. It looked like everyone else knew someone except for me. And to top that, it was almost 90 degrees everyday on the hot turf, with few water breaks, and instructors watching your every move. That night, I nearly cried myself to sleep, overwhelmed with loneliness, exhaustion, and frustration. How could I have ever made such a horrible decision?
The next day, we played a bonding game in the morning before we started the day. It was a game where one of the instructors would call out a number, and you would have to get in groups of that number and not be the one not in a group. I didn't know anybody so I just stayed by some of the other freshman girls. As the game went on, the girls that I had started with were slowly starting to diminish (they had not gotten into a group fast enough). When I was one of the few people left, I realized that other people in band did want me in their group- they even called my name! I didn't end up winning, but I had gotten pretty far.
After we had all come inside and sat down, the band instructor asked us how the game went. Without hesitation, everyone exclaimed how much fun they had. But then, our band teacher said something that I did not realize until he said it: that everyone is part of a group, sometimes the groups change and sometimes they don't. Sometimes you find new people, and other times you stay with the same people. His point was that even if you don't know a lot of people now, you will find a friend at some point. But if you give up, you end up like the people in the game who didn't find a group in time and were done with the game. It was a game of friendship.
Jump forward to four years later, and I have found friends that I have known for four years, some that I have only known for two, and some that I never talked to again. I didn't realize four years ago, how much the game we played would truly represent how the next four years would be. I had enjoyed my four years of band with a teacher I would never forget, concerts that made me anxious, and halftime shows where I would find new friends, go a little crazy, and cheer on the football team.