THE LANDRUM FORUM M.H.

Maddy Hendriksma

“Basically my entire middle school friend group came with me to Community. It made my freshman year a lot better because I already had people I could talk to if my classes were hard or whatever it was. I never had to struggle on my own because I had friends that were going through the same thing at the same school. It was helpful to have a friendly face in my classes. I think I’ve probably grown the most in my independence and responsibility. My freshman year, I was spending $30 a week on food and I was late for everything and I don’t think I valued other people’s time. I think Community has helped me become a good communicator and have respect for my teachers in a way that I didn’t middle school. I think the teachers here are really receptive to reaching out. If you need an accommodation and access I think they’re really receptive to that. And if you need to turn in something late or you need a little extra help or something, it’s not something to be ashamed of here and I think that’s really I’ll carry that with me for a while — that it’s okay to reach out and ask for help.”

L.M.

Lauren Macneil

“Last year, there was a group of boys in my forum. I thought they were so funny because they were just so into forum. Those four guys were super into the idea of being with people and they really put themselves out there. I looked up to them most. They were just so comfortable with themselves, and they could be themselves around others, which is something you don’t always see — sometimes people put on a fake face when they’re talking so that they’re liked. But they never did. They taught me how to talk to new people and not be super painfully awkward while doing it. I think it just showed me how shy and terrified I was. I used to have my solid group of friends, [and] I didn’t talk to really anyone else, unless I was forced to for a project. I’m definitely still very shy, but I do talk to more people. If I went to the Skyline, I wouldn’t have had to make new friends. Now, I bond with people that I don’t really talk to on a daily basis, and it’s just kind of fun to be around everyone.”