Which High School Clique Were You? I Was All of Them.

Later this week, I’m playing in a golf outing with a theme. Yes, a theme, and you know I live for a good one. The theme is “High School Cliques.” You know the drill: Jocks, Band Geeks, Nerds, Country Kids, Emo Kids, Queen Bees, Drama Club, etc. Everyone’s supposed to dress like they did in high school.

So naturally, I started reflecting: what was my high school clique? What did I wear? Who did I hang out with?

And the answer is... kind of everyone. And everything.

I graduated with a small class, about 120 of us, and for the most part, everyone talked to everyone. It wasn’t like the movies with harsh clique lines and cafeteria turf wars. If we did have cliques, I was a total floater. I had my core group of best friends (shoutout to the Wolfpack... yes, we actually had a name), but I also had friends from every activity and social circle: softball, FFA, yearbook, being a football injury trainer, and just different classes.

Some might’ve called me “popular,” but I’ve always cringed at that term. It makes me think of Regina George energy, and that just wasn’t me. That said… I did win the “Forever Best Friends” senior yearbook superlative with Shannon (because we were basically glued at the hip), and somehow I also snagged “Funniest Laugh” (still not sure if that was a compliment or just a polite roast). Either way, I’ll take it.

So who was I?

• Was I a jock? Eh… I only played softball. But most of my friends were athletes, so kind of.

• Was I country? Well, I drove a pickup truck, wore my shitkickers to school, and was in FFA… but I wouldn’t call myself that country.

• Was I a nerd? I mean, I graduated 5th in my class (somehow) and definitely turned in my homework on time... but I wasn’t exactly acing math for fun.

• Goth/emo? Not really… but my favorite color was (and is) black, and my music choices leaned that direction.

• Band kid? I was in band for a hot second.

• Rebel? I had the vibe… but let’s be real, I definitely cared about my grades, my reputation, and my future.

  
  

And as for how I dressed? Well... my fashion sense was just as much of a floater as my social life.

Up until senior year, I mostly wore my hair straight with dramatic side-swept bangs and an aggressively far side part. Sometimes I added a little bump in the front (yep, the mini Snooki poof). I rocked thick eyeliner, too-dark eyeshadow, and a headband basically every day (I still do that one... thanks, baby hairs).

My wardrobe was a mix of whatever made me feel good: Hollister tees, Fox Racing hoodies, the occasional Ed Hardy moment (cringe), snapback flatbills, and worn-in Vans. I loved cutting the collars off t-shirts so they hung off my shoulders like I was in a 2006 music video. I didn’t follow a trend... I just wore what I liked, even if that meant I looked like a skater girl one day and a country girl the next.

Looking back, I think that "floater" energy (socially and stylistically) is something that’s stayed with me into adulthood. I’ve made friends across all different phases of life (college, first jobs, leadership programs, networking events), and none of them are exactly alike. I think part of that is because I genuinely enjoy getting to know people and finding ways to connect with them. I hope people feel welcomed and loved when they’re around me (but I guess you'd have to ask them if that’s true!).

So as I get ready for this golf outing and try to figure out which high school “clique” to dress up as, I think the answer is simple: I was all of them. And maybe I still am.

From flatbill hats to FFA jackets, from eyeliner to empathy... here’s to embracing every version of who we were… and still are. 🖤

With playful self-awareness,

-CC