For the longest time, I was adamant about not making any new friends, and keeping to myself.  I don’t know what changed that, but it started with my interest in a person in my World Cultures class. I wasn’t really sure about how to approach this, so one day I just asked to sit next to them. Since that day, we’ve been friends ever since. That friend’s name is Kai.

Our friendship started a quarter into the second marking period. I’ll admit, it was a bit awkward at first, and I made it more than it had to be. I’m still not the type to walk up and try to make friends but this felt different; like an energy that matched mine in the opposite ways. It took a few weeks of awkward talking to finally get a breaking point. Our field trip. That completely changed everything I’ve ever thought of him up until that point. It went from awkward conversations and side glances, to loud laughs and holding on for dear life due to our stupidity. We spent the whole day together, and on that day I felt like we’d been friends forever. Running around the museums, taking photos together with goofy poses, even eating food together. It felt so genuine, and for that, I’m happy that this friendship is still going strong. 

Kai’s role in school is mainly focused on his CTC culinary class. After virtual school wasn’t sufficing anymore, he had to step back into physical learning. The task of choosing something to get into was a bit challenging. He chose culinary, not really knowing what to expect, but it turned out to be one of the best choices he’s made. 

Cooking is a passion, and an expressive hobby for him. “We get to move at our own pace, and it makes for easy assignments,” he told me. “Every week we make something different. It’s just rewarding seeing that people are enjoying what you make. It makes it worthwhile to see that you did that, and you could brighten someone’s day with your cooking.” 

The motivation to share his talents with the world, and to spread the love of cooking is what keeps him going. He plans to further his career in culinary, and I wish him the best of luck on that. It’s fun to support people when they’re expressing their passions or hobbies. Almost every week, Kai brings in different food for me and him to eat. It’s amazing to see the recipes, hear about how much time went into the process, and to see the finished product. It’s rewarding, and you can tell it’s his hobby.   

 During our conversation some interesting things came up about McCaskey. For one, the food choices. Surprisingly Kai has been food poisoned one too many times by the lunches at school. He believes that something needs to change in order for students to feel like they can eat something, and not have to worry about the after effects. “It’s something that’s concerning, and not many people are talking about it,” he said. “Even though we’ll be gone by next year, it’s still something that other kids will have to worry about. Will they ever change it? Who knows.” 

His other ideas on McCaskey are pretty natural. “It’s a very diverse school nonetheless, and this school has many options for students to explore.” His expressiveness towards the curricular activities is very positive. Most students don’t have strong opinions on school related issues, as our excuse is that “we will be gone by next year.” 

Kai has been one of the most interesting people to me this year. Everyday seems like a new discovery with him. I’ve seen him excel in his career paths through this year and I’m very proud of him. Our friendship has bloomed into something that I’m quite fond of honestly. He’s a very interesting character, and I still have a lot to learn about him. His character is one that keeps me balanced, due to us being opposites, but I think it completes us more than anything. 

My friendship with Kai makes me realize what is really important about my high school experience here at McCaskey: building meaningful relationships with the people around me, and in doing so, discovering more about myself.