As a student’s personality changes over the years, so can their friendships. For some, certain friends stick around and provide a priceless foundation for navigating new relationships.

Junior Gabriella Gonzalez and junior Lexie Schneider’s friendship began on the soccer field when they were eight years old. Schneider noted that even with some inconsistencies over the years, they stayed friends because of family ties.

“I think we’ve always been close. Even though there would be times we played on different teams and different schools, our parents were always close,” Schneider said. “(Family) definitely helped with us going to different schools because if our parents weren’t close, then we wouldn’t be as close as we are now.”

Schneider also explained that her friendship with Gonzalez includes the connection that she has formed with Gonzalez’s family because of their welcoming spirit.

“I’ve gotten really close with her family, especially because I don’t really have a lot of family in my house, so spending holidays and going on trips with her, like to North Carolina or smaller ones like going to the beach with her and her family, has definitely gotten us a lot closer,” Schneider said.

Schneider added that the two have been able to stay strong in their friendship because they have not had any drama or issues that they were not able to resolve together. She feels that being honest and communicative is crucial to maintaining connections in long-term friendships.

“We’ve never had any drama, fallouts or anything. I’ve never been mad at her. I feel like if someone’s your best friend, you have to actually put them first,” Schneider said. “Everyone has their one close person, and I feel like if you trust your friend a lot, then you need to stay real with them.”

Similar to Schneider, sophomore Angeline Nguyen believes the key to a strong friendship is understanding each other and spending quality time with one another, like she does with her friend Zoey.

“I think the best thing you can do at the start of a friendship is understand each other’s chemistry. For me, it was really easy to click with Zoey. Maybe it’s not for other people, but one thing that we grew together is our understanding of one another,” Nguyen said. “When you hang out and bond with someone for long enough, you understand their personality and their habits.”

Gonzalez added that other key elements to maintaining a strong friendship include being truthful and compassionate with one another.

“I think honesty and communication and making sure that you see each other’s feelings and perspectives is important. You also need to be helping them if they’re struggling with anything,” Gonzalez said.

Paetau notices that other factors can impact friendships and that it is important to be considerate of each other’s feelings even under frustrating circumstances to prevent miscommunications and potentially losing of a friend.

“To maintain a long-term friendship, always communicate and don’t be so sensitive. Just take them for who they are,” Paetau said. “If they say something that you don’t like, don’t just cut off the friendship there. You have to work through it.”

Nguyen communicated that her daily interactions with her best friend are necessary and special, strengthening their trust and friendship every day.

“There hasn’t been a day since high school where I haven’t laughed or talked with Zoey,” Nguyen said. “With the sheer amount of time I’ve known her, it’s safe to say she’s someone I can trust with anything, like a best friend.”

Best friends Junior Viggo Paetau and junior Max Nguyen did not attend the same middle school. Nevertheless, they found getting their friendship back to how it had been before they were separated effortless. Similar to Nguyen, they just needed to reconnect.

“We didn’t go to the same middle school. I went to Cabrillo. He went to Buchser. But I feel like when you’re that good of friends, it doesn’t matter how long you stay apart. You’re always gonna have that connection. You can build it back up so easily,” Paetau said.

Nguyen shared that she and her best friend have struggled with consistency in their friendship due to being separated in school. She explained that she missed Zoey when they attended different schools for a year because there seemed to be an empty space where her friendship once had been.

“I admit that we didn’t get to talk much or hang out at that time, but I definitely felt as though I was missing something throughout my entire freshman year,” Nguyen said. “Turns out it was just Zoey.”

Nguyen noted that it was easy to get settled in their friendship again because they were already familiar and close from the past.

“Making the effort to reconnect was important, so upon going to the same school again we hung out a lot,” Nguyen said. “Personally, what I think is most important is being comfortable with one another. It’s like being roommates, but even after moving out for a while, it’s really easy to settle back in.”

Paetau mentioned that although he and Max were separated during middle school, their friendship has remained relatively unaltered over the years. They were able to grow by themselves and still be friends.

“I don’t think that it has really changed. I mean we both matured, obviously, and we’ve changed individually, but our friendship has always been the same,” Paetau said.

Nguyen regards friendships as an essential part of life that provides stability. She sees their connection as something that can be as necessary as family, offering love and support in the same meaningful way while allowing each other to grow and change.

“Long-term friendships are as important to you as a person, as important as any other kind of support,” Nguyen said. “Friendships allow a connection that acquaintances and even family can’t give sometimes, and personally, I’d say that a friend is the only high school experience that anyone needs.”