“You can’t sit with us.”  

I woke up on the eve of my first day of high school in a cold sweat, dreading lunch time. Coming from a small private school, I was not looking forward to entering a ‘real school’ where my first period class would be bigger than my previous entire middle school.  

I don’t remember much about my first day, but I do remember lunch time. I looked around Cafeteria Two for the stereotypes I found in Mean Girls: the jocks, the preps, the ‘art freaks’. The view was great from my table for one. I became overwhelmed at the thought of being accepted at one table and finding my group of friends.  

Fast forward three years, and I begin the same first day of school rituals, only this time, with a lot less anxiety. While I have learned a lot in high school, the most important lessons I have learned, came, surprisingly, from lunch.  

You don’t need to fit in solely with the jocks, the preps or the art freaks. You don’t need to abide by the rules set by the nerds or the “cool kids”. Who cares if you are that girl who “eats her feelings”? The truth is no one. No one cares if you wear pink on Wednesdays; no one cares if you get dessert after you eat cheese fries. So why should you?  

I have taken tastes of all East’s courses: the art, the music, the sports, and the spirit. And while I have realized that I have loved some activities more than others, and have been more successful in some activities than others (I didn’t make the mime company freshman year), I am nevertheless grateful for all of my experiences.  

Fit in with the jocks, but fit in with the preps, too. Be a cool nerd. Become a blend of your surroundings. Get involved-it’s the best way to make friends, and guarantee a spot at multiple lunch tables.  

Bon appétit!