Ever since grade school I have been told to surround myself with good people. People that have good values and do good things. I was told that the people that I do surround myself with will have a huge impact on who I become. 

Boy, were they right. The crowed that I hung out with in school were people who were part of the “good kids,” as most other people would say. I was the student who followed all of the rules, studied for everything and went to school even when I felt sick because I didn’t want to fall behind. 

There were other students at my school who didn’t study, didn’t care about school and generally missed class for anything. The part that the adults didn’t tell me was that late in life, I might be friends with people who were from the other crowd.  

In college, there are people from all walks of life. 

They have different life goals and they all have a different past. 

Coming to college freshman year was a shock because I thought I would be joined with other people, like me, who strive to be the best in school.  

After a few years in the reality of things, I have realized that even though I played by all the rules and hung out with the “good kids,” I ended up at the same place as those who put education second to everything else.  

Initially, this was a huge smack in the face. Sure, I had fun in school but I also could have saved myself the stress of doing everything perfectly.  

Will I take this into consideration and not take college as serious? No. I will still try harder than I should because I am just that person who feels that if I’m taking my time to do something, the product better have been worth my time. Also, it’s college, so thousands of dollars are on the line if I fail. No pressure, right? 

I am still going to surround myself with good people, but I am doing it because I want people who will keep me accountable and people who I can go to when I need help.  

Although I surround myself with people who may not make school as high of a priority as I do, I still surround myself with people who understand the importance that education has in my eyes. They also make sure that I have fun every once in a while.  

It is important to not just hang out with people who are like you, but to be with people who understand you and won’t be bad influences. It is important to stay true to yourself and have people who, even in the tough times, will be there to keep you going.  

Karena Ozier is a sophomore elementary education major. She can be reached at 581-2812 

or at kmozier@eiu.edu.