Starting over at a new school is never easy, but for sophomore Jake Noel, it was a turning point. What began as a difficult transition eventually helped him discover who he truly was, and who his real friends were after some struggles during middle school.
“They treated me like some entertainment,” Noel said. “I’m glad I’ve grown out of that. I’m not going to forget it, though. It was pretty superficial and unnecessary, honestly.”
Noel’s journey took him through multiple schools: Antioch, New Mark, and finally Staley, each one shaping his experiences and identity. He said he began to embrace his true self by changing his style, focusing on hobbies he enjoyed, and learning to connect with people on a deeper level. A turning point came when he recognized how others treated a new student, reminding him of his own past. He said people in middle school were really fake.
“They don’t actually want to get to know you. They just want to look like they’re being nice,” Noel said. “It reminded me of how I used to be treated, like I wasn’t even real.”
Despite the difficult start, Noel eventually found people who accepted him for who he was, and that made all the difference. Their influence didn’t just make him feel more welcome, it changed how he saw the world and the kind of person he wanted to become.
“It’s even influenced what I think about people,” Noel said. “I’m open to these types of people, and I like these types of people because they’re my friends. It’s really helped me to be more nice and kind and understanding, even to drastically different people that I see all the time.”
Noel credited those friendships with helping him grow more confident and outgoing. Without them, he believed he might have taken a very different path.
“I’d probably be severely different,” Noel said. “I think I would’ve hung out with the wrong crowd or just been a really, really quiet person. I might have just been comfortable being in the back.”
Now looking toward the rest of high school and beyond, Noel carried the lessons he learned with him. He encouraged others to be intentional with the people they surround themselves with and to take chances on new friendships.
“These four years are really going to shape who you are and who you’re with,” Noel said. “It’s important to be sure about who you choose to be around. If you see someone you might want to be friends with, you should talk to them. You never know, those could be the people who change your life.”
