People Are Not Always What They Seem by Rebecka

People Are Not Always What They Seem by Rebecka - October 2013 Scholarship Essay

High school is a crucial time in a person's life. High school is where you figure out who you are, who you want to be, and what you believe in. High school is where you grow and change mentally, physically, and emotionally. High school was honestly the best time of my teenage years.
I learned many valuable life lessons in high school. However, one of them stood out to me the most. In my junior year of high school, I became friends with a violinist named Christie. I thought she was so cool, and nice. Since we were both in the orchestra, we gravitated toward each other right away. We were inseparable. As time went on, there were things about Christie that I did not like. For example, she often talked badly of a girl who had autism, and she also went out of her way to leave my best friend out of certain activities such as the pictures we wanted to take before prom just because she did not like her. I let all of these things slide because for some reason, I thought I still wanted to be her friend. She was funny, she was talented, and everyone liked her. Part of me felt like I was finally popular for a change.
However, things changed when her and another one of my friends, Alesha got into a big fight. Christie said some very mean things to Alesha, and when Alesha confided in me I was shocked. Things between the two got to be worse and worse, and I started to see Christie's true colors. Colors I should have seen a long time ago when she made fun of the girl who had autism. I confronted Christie, and told her how I felt. I told her that she had changed, and that I felt like I was loosing a good friend. I explained to her that Alesha had confided in me, and that I could not believe the things she had said to her. As I spoke my mind, my courage grew and I also told her that I did not want to come into the position Alesha was now in. I did not want to be walked on, called names, and fight with someone over nothing. Christie did not receive my feelings how I intended, and we ended up getting into a huge fight. We are no longer friends.
The lesson I learned from this experience is that people are not what they seem. I learned that I need to be more critical of the people I choose to surround myself with. I have carried that lesson with me through the years, and now that I am in college I stick to my values. If I am around someone who acts in a way I do not like, or talks about people in a way I do not like I do not hang around them. I am very picky about the people I choose to spend my time with. In high school, with Christie, I felt trapped. Part of me was almost afraid to stop hanging around her because I knew she would be mean to me. However, because of what she taught me I am never afraid to stop hanging around someone who does not fit into my criteria. There are not many things in life that you can control, but the few that you can control give you power as an individual, so why wouldn't you use that power? The people you are friends with is something you can control because you make the choice of who you hang out with, and who you do not hang out with. Why surround yourself with people who are unlike you, when you can choose to surround yourself with people who believe, and act in a way that you do? Never be afraid to be honest with yourself about the choice in the friends you have made. If you feel that the friends you are hanging out with are not the people you want to be surrounded by, be honest with them and go make friends with people who fit your criteria. Be picky about who you choose to surround yourself with because after all, you are who you hang out with.