Today my brother started his first day of high school at my alma mater, Miami Killian. To his disappointment, the first day wasn’t like he imagined. He ate lunch alone and doesn’t know anyone.

Rewind five years back and you have the very same situation with me. I started high school in a brand new city, I didn’t know anyone at all and my first day was horrible and so was most of my year. I ate lunch alone for most of the year and I had no friends.

But take that lonely girl’s story fast forward through the years and you see that it got better. She made friends, stopped eating alone and had fun. She had so much fun by the end of high school that she misses those off-white crowded halls.

All I have to say to my brother is this, hang in there little one, for it gets better. You have to give it time to adjust and meet people. Be strong and hang in there. I promise it gets better, but you got to give the change a chance.