I never officially graduated from elementary school. I moved mid-year in sixth grade to a new school where middle school started in fifth. Yet, that wouldn’t be my last move—I would keep moving, missing more milestones.

According to research published in Frontiers in Psychology, moving during childhood can lead to a higher likelihood of lower grades and worsened mental health. It’s been branded as a traumatic and purely negative experience, but there’s more nuance to it than one might believe. 

In no way do I mean to discredit the tolls moving may take; I know them all. I had sobbed my eyes out until there weren’t any tears left, felt the ache of leaving behind everything I had built and dealt with the weight of strangers’ eyes as I was introduced into a new classroom.

Despite all these experiences, I see the undeniable ways moving schools changed my life for the better. According to The Society of Federal Health Professionals, moving is correlated with improved resilience, a quality I’ve built up and use often to this day.

By nature, I’m quiet and reserved, but moving forced me to make connections with others on the fly. I had to speak up for myself because no one else would. My ability to work well with other people was developed involuntarily through the countless times I had to do group projects with strangers. By collaborating and resolving disagreements, skills the University of Waterloo deems essential for effective leadership, I’ve learned to become a leader in any community I’m a part of.

Still, I’m not perfect; moving has had its fair share of negative impacts on me. In my sophomore year, I moved to CHS, my seventh move across state lines. Here, there was a period of time where I kept to myself and wallowed in self-pity. Living in the same place your whole life means friends come without much effort—you know everyone around you well. Eventually, I became tired of being alone and uncertain. 

So, when forced into new environments, I had to adapt. My many moves hurt, but they trained me to take a deep breath, calm down and think of the next best step. I decided to approach issues in a way that was less clouded by fear. Little by little, I remembered the habits that had helped me in the past—waving at classmates in the hallway, actively seeking out connections and learning to interrupt a conversation with a smile. 

In this way, I’ve made some of my closest friends. My compliment on someone’s marmalade hairclip gave me a friend for three years. I’ve grown to cherish the value of human connections because I know how it feels to be missing. In all seriousness, I’d be a whole lot shyer and less accomplished if I hadn’t moved and simply stayed in my comfort zone. I don’t think I would’ve had the life I’m living right now. Moving made me feel like the world was ending at times, but the lessons I took away from it were things I wouldn’t trade for the world.

I’m graduating from high school in a couple of months. Although I never walked across the elementary school stage, I’ve already graduated to become who I need to be.