Oak Knoll School of the Holy Child always seemed like a magical place to me. When I was younger, I had two cousins and an older sister who attended the school and I anticipated the days when one of them would forget a book and I would accompany my mom to drop it off. The campus was beautiful and I loved the look of the uniform.

Starting at a new school can be tough, especially when you don’t know anyone. I joined my school in seventh grade, which meant many of the girls already knew each other from younger grades, and I figured I would be like an outsider looking in. It’s really hard to get excited about school when you’re worried about being “the new kid.”