For freshman Aijay Singh, moving from place to place has always been part of life. With a father in the Army, he’s had to pack up and start over more times than he can count.
“We’ve moved around four to five times now,” Aijay said. “The ones I remember were Washington, Georgia, North Carolina, and now El Paso.”
Even with all the changes, one place stands out above the rest. Georgia became a special home to him because of the friendships he made there.
“It was because my lifelong friend Ben was there with me,” he said. “We’d mess around and have fun all the time.”
Leaving friends behind was never easy, but Aijay learned that real friendships can survive the distance. The bond he shares with Ben has lasted for more than six years, even after moving states.
“If you can keep a friend even after moving, you know that friendship’s going to last,” Aijay said.
Not every move was calm, though. When his family lived in North Carolina, the house was full of relatives, cousins, and chaos.
“It was me, my three siblings, my parents, my aunts, my uncle, and three cousins—all in one house,” he explained. “It wasn’t conflict exactly, but there were always crossed plans and things happening.”
El Paso brought new challenges of its own. Adjusting to new schools wasn’t always smooth, especially when the environment got tense.
“The first middle school I went to here was kind of wild,” Aijay said. “There was a lot of fighting—people would fight just for the fun of it.”
Despite all the changes, Aijay stays strong academically and keeps a sense of humor about it all. He knows that starting fresh takes patience and flexibility.
“The grades carry over pretty well,” he said. “It’s just the change in teachers and being dropped in the middle of projects that’s hard.”
Through it all, Aijay has learned how to adapt and find steady ground no matter where he goes. His dad’s military service sometimes takes him far away, but Aijay’s understanding has grown with time.
“When I was little and he first left, I thought he abandoned us,” Aijay said. “But now it’s easier—I can call him, even with the time difference.”
