Don't judge a book by its cover and learn

I am a walking sponge. Not like the cartoon character Spongebob, but a sponge. I am the type of person who gets influenced a lot by the people I am around. Through high school I always hung around the "weird" kids. The kids that weren't the most popular. I found out that these kids were the most accepting though. I didn't have to wear brand name clothing or have money in order to connect with them. I guess I was a weird kid myself. At our school, the classic stereotypes were huge. These were specially visible on the earlier years of high school. I never really felt like o fit in any clan really. Being Hispanic, I was expected to hang out with the other Hispanic students but I never had a connection. My interests were not the same as theirs. I wasn't super studious so that left me out of the nerds. I wasn't athletic so I wasn't a jock. I was never mean enough to be a bully. I didn't do drugs or drink, so that left out the partiers. I did school clubs and some sports such as key club, STUCCO, choir, tennis, soccer and multicultural club. I always felt like I had too much to offer to just stick to one clan so I tended to navigate between all of the clans. By my senior year, I literally talked to everyone. I've always enjoyed listening to others and helping them with their issues so I think that helped me connect with so many people. Out of all the people I spoke to, I always seemed to attain some characteristic from them. From the Hispanics I learned to be proud of me heritage. From the choir kids I learned to work in a team. From the popular kids I learned some social skills. From the artistic kids I learned creativity. With all that I had attained I managed to reach people in ways others couldn't. We all are multifaceted. There's more to us than what we let others see. I learned a lot about people that they usually wouldn't let anyone else know. I loved it. I still love that. With or without them knowing, I always took lessons from them. My social skills now lack a bit due to the lack of interaction with others but when I try I tend to get further than the usual weather talk. There's valuable lessons to learn from everyone. Don't judge a book by its cover, for in the end you'll be the one who is surprised and end up leaving with more than when you arrived. I'm a sponge because I learn from others and learn to appreciate new things. An open mind can lead you to greatness.