Friendships, no matter how long they last, can contribute to your mental health and well-being. As they come and go, meeting new people and learning things along the way can shape who you are as a person.
Hailey Streitberger, a freshman here at West Albany High School, met her best friend, Hannah Scott, eight years ago through karate. They started becoming closer in 2021, and now they’re closer than ever.
“We FaceTime a couple [of] times a week, we call a lot,” Streitberger said.
Because Scott lives in Crescent Valley, they have to connect through online platforms. Even with the distance, they still manage to keep their relationship tight. They try to hang out at least once a month outside of karate, usually at one of their houses or the mall.
Streitberger says her favorite memory with Scott was during her birthday trip.
“For my birthday, we went to Great Wolf Lodge, and we took her with us, so that was really fun,” she said.
Scott and Streitberger often go on trips together, the most recent one being this spring break, when they went to Bandon, Oregon, together to hang out at the beach.
“She’s always there for me whenever I need her. Since we’re so close, it’s just nice to know I have someone. She’s super kind, and she feels like a sister to me.”
Freshman Karson Thomas met his friend, Drayson Elder, at a football game two years ago. Ever since then, they have been inseparable. Conveniently, they live down the street from one another, which is why he says they hang out almost every day.
Thomas and Elder usually drive around at night, just enjoying one another’s company.
“He’s always been a good friend, always been there for me, he’s like a brother to me,” Thomas said. “He always supports me for whatever I wanna do.”
Unlike Thomas, freshman Diego Vega met his best friend Trevon Herod back in kindergarten 12 years ago, when he used to live in Corvallis. But now that he has moved to Albany, he only sees Herod every two to three weeks.
Vega’s favorite memory with Herod was a basketball tournament a few years ago in which they won second place.
“When we went to a basketball tournament together, I got to go to a pool with him,” Vega said.
Even though they aren’t playing on the playground anymore, they still play together in video games. They bond through playing Roblox, Gang Beasts, and Minecraft.
He says that Herod is such a good friend because of how long they have known each other and because of his sense of humor.
According to the Mayo Clinic, having friends can lower a person’s chances of mental health disorders and even lead to a longer lifespan. This goes to show just how important it is to have support, whether emotional or physical.
