A comfort zone, particularly for high schoolers, serves as a no-risk, no-failure, no-rejection zone reflecting that most teenagers are not willing to extend themselves or jeopardize their reputations or risk potential embarrassment in front of their friends and acquaintances. Many students fear venturing out to try new activities or meet others who may hold similar interests. As for me, I was constructively forced out of my old group of friends who served as my comfort zone for the first two years of high school. Based on this experience, I firmly believe that people should be more receptive and open to new people who are culturally and ethnically diverse. Such experiences and people exist outside of our comfort zones a comfort zone is self-limiting and stagnant, causing us to miss out on enriching opportunities which are only available to those who extend themselves. Ultimately, I had to put myself out “there” to meet new people. As a consequence, I also tried new things and activities that my new friends embraced as their interests.

My first experience of being thrown out of my comfort zone simmered and then escalated through my sophomore year of high school. Many of my friends in freshman year had started to experiment, with little thought or consequences with boys, lifestyle choices, or unhealthy substances. For them, it was the “cool” thing to care more about revealing outfits, alcohol, parties, or dating rather than their families, academics, or the well-being of their friends. That was simply not me. None of my friends had the willpower to admit their risky behaviors, embracing peer pressure in their new group and new comfort zone of running with the in-crowd. However, they simply replaced one comfort zone for another riskier one with potentially severe consequences. This had little appeal for me.

I considered myself to be more rational and grounded