When Ashley entered high school she was the only one of her middle school friends to go to that particular high school. She found it really hard to make new friends and felt uncomfortable around all the new kids. The new kids maybe sensing Ashley’s vulnerability became more mean and standoffish which made it extremely hard for Ashley to create any meaningful friendships. This cycle pushed Ashley further into isolation and made for a very lonely high school existence. Ashley found writing to help sort out her feelings and a satisfying way for self expression. Ashley doesn’t blame all the other kids though for making her feel isolated — she acknowledges that there where things that she could have done to be more proactive in creating opportunities for friendships to take shape. In hindsight it is always easy to see what we could have done better but Ashley really wants to encourage anyone that is feeling intimidated or scared of meeting people to just lift your eyes up and look people in the eyes when you meet them. You will notice a would of difference in how they end up treating you and you are creating possibilities of connecting with people. Human connections are vital to our lives so Ashley’s advice to anyone who is having a difficult time in this situation is worth thinking about and challenging yourself to try. Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aponte_ashley/
