#1
Our class valedictorian, who was also a star soccer player, ended up turning down numerous full rides to major universities to basically travel the world doing random volunteer work in 3rd world countries. More info: Reddit Source: spiderlanewales
#2
Image source: bourbon78, falco My best friend since I was 5 yrs old, smartest person I ever knew. She went off to college and got into heroin. She is now serving a life sentence for first degree murder.
#3
Image source: pythonic_nonsense, fsHH high school meth dealer and local lunchroom pot/cigarette vendor ended up being roomates senior year. two months after graduation they both joined the las vegas PD.
#4
Image source: anon, SPOTSOFLIGHT The son of my teacher was a football player, had a beautiful gf (they broke up before he graduated though), and was a procrastinator. Once he graduated, he went to work at a restaurant for a year and as far as I knew, he was going to attend college the next year but he had no idea of what his major was gonna be. I just found out two weeks ago he got accepted to a local seminary and is going to become a priest! I was shocked to say the least
#5
Image source: crasslardass, Foundry Me. I had a 4.357 GPA. Was always in gifted classes, AP classes, nerdy and quiet on the track to get into any university of my choice to become a doctor. I got pregnant right before my senior year by someone terrible and even though I graduated, I ended up working at McDonalds for 5 years and married to a drug dealer. Luckily I’ve turned my life back around and am doing ok now.
#6
Super outgoing kid at my school, always wore suits, drove a classic Caddilac, straight A’s—absolutely fantastic guy. Never not smiling and skipping and dancing around. Star athlete too—state champion runner a couple times, had a full college ride to some D1 school. Two years into college tries to [take out] himself 30 times, evidently has a ton of mental health issues that he also had while he was in high school that he dealt with by smiling over them. Good part is though, that he’s in AA, getting proper therapy, and has a ESA cat that sits on his shoulders everywhere he goes! He hasn’t attempted suicide in like 8 months and now can smile for real. —he’s also actually me Source: Dr_Pinball
#7
Image source: tylerjordanm, The Come Up Show Went to high school with Post Malone. He and I had a mutual friend in middle school so inevitably in high school we became close. I remember listening to him play guitar in his garage and telling him “you’re gonna be big one day.” But I didnt expect him to reach the fame level he did.
#8
Image source: StandUpForYourWights, wileylong Girl in my high school was a terrible human being, selfish and totally self absorbed. I couldn’t stand her. One of the shallowest, nastiest people I knew. 20 years later she sacrifices her life trying to help save three children, unknown to her, from drowning in a rip current at a local beach.
#9
Image source: alteredxenon, Pexels A really nice and shy guy who liked Queen and played guitar a bit. Became a bass-guitarist in #1 rock band in Ukraine. Edit: it’s Okean Elzy. He’s not in the band anymore, but has been playing for first 10 years.
#10
My female bully developed alopecia and lost her hair. While I don’t wish that on anyone, I appreciated the irony of someone who was so focused on looks/social standing going bald. Source: phoenix25
#11
Image source: anon, StartupStockPhotos One super shy quiet dude is now doing time for blackmailing girls and posting their nudes.
#12
Best friend in high school. His step dad was a district attorney and apparently they didn’t get along at all. This was the bible belt south east. I met him in the tenth grade as I smoked weed and he happened to sell it. He lived in a trailer park and financed it with his weed sales. My parents hated him. After he graduated from high school while living 100 percent on his own, he did two years of collage before getting accepted in a major medical university program that actually paid him to be there. He is now a pharmaceutical engineer living in Switzerland. My parents were surprised to hear that. Source: Pm_me_instructions
#13
Image source: jesus_crimmity, Grace Lutheran Church Every school had the certified junkie, our was some real skinny guy named Avery. He not only was a junkie, he was a terrible student. He never did one piece of work and always talked back to teachers and it was an everyday thing for him to get kicked out of class. I’m pretty sure he was at the very bottom of our class. I saw him at Wal-Mart a few years ago and he did a full 180. It was very visible he was off drugs completely, he physically looked better and he was now a youth pastor. I check up on him ever so often on social media and it seems he’s still doing fine.
#14
Image source: chel8, ernestoeslava The quiet, kinda nerdy guy in the back of my AP Calculus class is now the CEO of Playboy Thailand.
#15
Image source: Lightning_lad64, pexels Guy who sat behind me in hometown. Was a good student, but not an intellectual superstar by any means. After I relocated to Eastern PA, turns out he was in Western NJ. Multi-millionaire, former CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Great guy, super happy for him, but truly unexpected.
#16
Image source: 848Des14, Arturo1203 Low achiever, used to goof off in class all the time. Bit of a class clown. Used to tell everyone that her goal was to be a trophy wife so she could watch TV all day. Has shown her designs at Paris fashion week and has dressed several celebrities. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I was flicking through a copy of Vogue Australia on my lunch break and there was a 4-page article on her in there. I was so happy, she always had a heart of gold and I feel like her teen self was a reflection of what her family thought for her, she deserved to be much more than someone’s wife.
#17
Image source: Emilimilee, StockSnap A guy I was friends with in drama club became a professional drag queen. No one knew he was gay. I almost dated the guy. We made out once on a school trip.
#18
Image source: Tired_Thumb, naeimasgary Myself actually. 10 years ago I was racist, misogynistic, and homophobic. Now I march in the pride parade, Iv been openly dating a trans person, and have found a new understanding and way of life. In high school I thought I wanted to stay in the Midwest and become a mechanic. Now I’m a wildland firefighter. I never wanted to travel in high school, now Iv hitch hiked the US and been all over. I’m even planing a motorcycle trip to Panama. I’m happy I was able to leave my small town, and grow as a person. Change is a good thing.
#19
There’s this girl I know from H.S. who struggled a lot with depression and anxiety. Her freshman year she tried to [take out] herself and ended up in a long term treatment center. She now has a Masters degree in social works and works in a high school with kids like herself. It’s pretty cool. Source: you-are-beautiful-
#20
Image source: Krissyeeen, Pexels I knew a girl in high school who was very sweet but very shy. She had very poor eyesight, had some tough dental issues, was overweight, and lived with a foster family in a trailer park. She wasn’t particularly close with anyone in school; I got the sense that she was just trying to make it through —- head down, get it done. But she was always kind and I would talk with her a bit here and there. Mostly she kept to herself and seemed to want to just not be noticed at all. After high school, we lost touch. Twenty years later, I get a Facebook request from someone with her name but the picture looks nothing like her. Not even a vague resemblance. I accept because I’m curious. Well, it was indeed her! It turns out that she worked her way through/paid for community college, ended up getting a good job with a family company and worked her way up the ranks there. She saved all of her money. By her late 20s, she saved enough money and had good insurance for eye surgery and dental surgery. She also started really focusing on getting healthy. She said it all boosted her confidence so much that she started traveling around the country. During those travels, she ended up meeting a great guy. She and her husband have a nice family, good jobs, and live in an affluent community. She acknowledged that her early years were tough and she had such low self esteem that she had a tough time making friends. She thanked me for always being kind to her. She ended with “I may have blossomed late, but it was worth the wait” I’m so happy for her. We keep in touch.
title: “20 Times People Were Shocked By Their High School Friends Transformations” ShowToc: true date: “2024-08-29” author: “Frances Holze”
#1
Our class valedictorian, who was also a star soccer player, ended up turning down numerous full rides to major universities to basically travel the world doing random volunteer work in 3rd world countries. More info: Reddit Source: spiderlanewales
#2
Image source: bourbon78, falco My best friend since I was 5 yrs old, smartest person I ever knew. She went off to college and got into heroin. She is now serving a life sentence for first degree murder.
#3
Image source: pythonic_nonsense, fsHH high school meth dealer and local lunchroom pot/cigarette vendor ended up being roomates senior year. two months after graduation they both joined the las vegas PD.
#4
Image source: anon, SPOTSOFLIGHT The son of my teacher was a football player, had a beautiful gf (they broke up before he graduated though), and was a procrastinator. Once he graduated, he went to work at a restaurant for a year and as far as I knew, he was going to attend college the next year but he had no idea of what his major was gonna be. I just found out two weeks ago he got accepted to a local seminary and is going to become a priest! I was shocked to say the least
#5
Image source: crasslardass, Foundry Me. I had a 4.357 GPA. Was always in gifted classes, AP classes, nerdy and quiet on the track to get into any university of my choice to become a doctor. I got pregnant right before my senior year by someone terrible and even though I graduated, I ended up working at McDonalds for 5 years and married to a drug dealer. Luckily I’ve turned my life back around and am doing ok now.
#6
Super outgoing kid at my school, always wore suits, drove a classic Caddilac, straight A’s—absolutely fantastic guy. Never not smiling and skipping and dancing around. Star athlete too—state champion runner a couple times, had a full college ride to some D1 school. Two years into college tries to [take out] himself 30 times, evidently has a ton of mental health issues that he also had while he was in high school that he dealt with by smiling over them. Good part is though, that he’s in AA, getting proper therapy, and has a ESA cat that sits on his shoulders everywhere he goes! He hasn’t attempted suicide in like 8 months and now can smile for real. —he’s also actually me Source: Dr_Pinball
#7
Image source: tylerjordanm, The Come Up Show Went to high school with Post Malone. He and I had a mutual friend in middle school so inevitably in high school we became close. I remember listening to him play guitar in his garage and telling him “you’re gonna be big one day.” But I didnt expect him to reach the fame level he did.
#8
Image source: StandUpForYourWights, wileylong Girl in my high school was a terrible human being, selfish and totally self absorbed. I couldn’t stand her. One of the shallowest, nastiest people I knew. 20 years later she sacrifices her life trying to help save three children, unknown to her, from drowning in a rip current at a local beach.
#9
Image source: alteredxenon, Pexels A really nice and shy guy who liked Queen and played guitar a bit. Became a bass-guitarist in #1 rock band in Ukraine. Edit: it’s Okean Elzy. He’s not in the band anymore, but has been playing for first 10 years.
#10
My female bully developed alopecia and lost her hair. While I don’t wish that on anyone, I appreciated the irony of someone who was so focused on looks/social standing going bald. Source: phoenix25
#11
Image source: anon, StartupStockPhotos One super shy quiet dude is now doing time for blackmailing girls and posting their nudes.
#12
Best friend in high school. His step dad was a district attorney and apparently they didn’t get along at all. This was the bible belt south east. I met him in the tenth grade as I smoked weed and he happened to sell it. He lived in a trailer park and financed it with his weed sales. My parents hated him. After he graduated from high school while living 100 percent on his own, he did two years of collage before getting accepted in a major medical university program that actually paid him to be there. He is now a pharmaceutical engineer living in Switzerland. My parents were surprised to hear that. Source: Pm_me_instructions
#13
Image source: jesus_crimmity, Grace Lutheran Church Every school had the certified junkie, our was some real skinny guy named Avery. He not only was a junkie, he was a terrible student. He never did one piece of work and always talked back to teachers and it was an everyday thing for him to get kicked out of class. I’m pretty sure he was at the very bottom of our class. I saw him at Wal-Mart a few years ago and he did a full 180. It was very visible he was off drugs completely, he physically looked better and he was now a youth pastor. I check up on him ever so often on social media and it seems he’s still doing fine.
#14
Image source: chel8, ernestoeslava The quiet, kinda nerdy guy in the back of my AP Calculus class is now the CEO of Playboy Thailand.
#15
Image source: Lightning_lad64, pexels Guy who sat behind me in hometown. Was a good student, but not an intellectual superstar by any means. After I relocated to Eastern PA, turns out he was in Western NJ. Multi-millionaire, former CEO of a pharmaceutical company. Great guy, super happy for him, but truly unexpected.
#16
Image source: 848Des14, Arturo1203 Low achiever, used to goof off in class all the time. Bit of a class clown. Used to tell everyone that her goal was to be a trophy wife so she could watch TV all day. Has shown her designs at Paris fashion week and has dressed several celebrities. You could have knocked me over with a feather when I was flicking through a copy of Vogue Australia on my lunch break and there was a 4-page article on her in there. I was so happy, she always had a heart of gold and I feel like her teen self was a reflection of what her family thought for her, she deserved to be much more than someone’s wife.
#17
Image source: Emilimilee, StockSnap A guy I was friends with in drama club became a professional drag queen. No one knew he was gay. I almost dated the guy. We made out once on a school trip.
#18
Image source: Tired_Thumb, naeimasgary Myself actually. 10 years ago I was racist, misogynistic, and homophobic. Now I march in the pride parade, Iv been openly dating a trans person, and have found a new understanding and way of life. In high school I thought I wanted to stay in the Midwest and become a mechanic. Now I’m a wildland firefighter. I never wanted to travel in high school, now Iv hitch hiked the US and been all over. I’m even planing a motorcycle trip to Panama. I’m happy I was able to leave my small town, and grow as a person. Change is a good thing.
#19
There’s this girl I know from H.S. who struggled a lot with depression and anxiety. Her freshman year she tried to [take out] herself and ended up in a long term treatment center. She now has a Masters degree in social works and works in a high school with kids like herself. It’s pretty cool. Source: you-are-beautiful-
#20
Image source: Krissyeeen, Pexels I knew a girl in high school who was very sweet but very shy. She had very poor eyesight, had some tough dental issues, was overweight, and lived with a foster family in a trailer park. She wasn’t particularly close with anyone in school; I got the sense that she was just trying to make it through —- head down, get it done. But she was always kind and I would talk with her a bit here and there. Mostly she kept to herself and seemed to want to just not be noticed at all. After high school, we lost touch. Twenty years later, I get a Facebook request from someone with her name but the picture looks nothing like her. Not even a vague resemblance. I accept because I’m curious. Well, it was indeed her! It turns out that she worked her way through/paid for community college, ended up getting a good job with a family company and worked her way up the ranks there. She saved all of her money. By her late 20s, she saved enough money and had good insurance for eye surgery and dental surgery. She also started really focusing on getting healthy. She said it all boosted her confidence so much that she started traveling around the country. During those travels, she ended up meeting a great guy. She and her husband have a nice family, good jobs, and live in an affluent community. She acknowledged that her early years were tough and she had such low self esteem that she had a tough time making friends. She thanked me for always being kind to her. She ended with “I may have blossomed late, but it was worth the wait” I’m so happy for her. We keep in touch.
