High school reunions can be quite the spectacle, with some people barely advancing since their days of youth while others are unrecognizable, but not always in a good way. People who have attended their high school reunion reflect on that latter, revealing those who have shockingly changed the most.
Type A To Type Happy.
“One of my neighbors growing up was that super motivated Type A do everything types. Co-valedictorian, captain of the hockey team, gifted musician…just always working.
10 year reunion, went just how we all expected. Full ride to Yale, Harvard MBA, six figure Wall Street job, gorgeous Fiancé…and he seemed utterly miserable. 10 years later, 20th reunion. He got sick of it all, quit his job, sold his house, got divorced, and got out of town. He now owns a pig farm in Upstate New York, spends his days working the farm, brewing beer, and hiking in the forest…and I’ve never met a happier, more satisfied person in my life” (Source).
Seeing Stars.
“One kid was fairly small, quiet and goofy. Nice kid, but nothing too special about him. We hung out a few times at speech/drama tournaments. I had wondered what happened to him. Turns out he grew quite a lot and became quite popular. His acting career took him far. He’s been in several huge films, including X-Men. We knew him as Jimmy. Today he goes by a more mature name of James – James Marsden. I hope he’s still the cool, goofy guy deep down that I remember from the few times we hung out” (Source).
Forgetting Your Roots.
“I was friendly with this guy freshman/sophomore year, I think. He was super quiet, shy, incredibly studious, chubby kid. Even some teachers would be like ‘lighten up, relax.’ He came out of his shell senior year and we kind of stopped being friends because he was hanging out with the ‘cool’ kids and having parties where people could drink, etc, and I was super square and uninterested. So at my reunion, he was this x20. He is now a ‘hotshot’ kind of guy in DC working for a ‘strategies’ company. (Just googled it, no idea what they do). Anyway, at the reunion he was mostly okay UNTIL he chugged a shit-ton of beers. Some folks had left, but the rest of us left at the reunion had gathered around while he picked up a yearbook. He proceeded to s–t on EVERY PERSON in our year whether they were there to defend themselves or not. This was a super uncool kid freshman year (who nobody really disliked or made fun of, actually) just bashing everyone for weight, being weird, being uncool, being too cool, etc. My boyfriend was with me (he did not go to HS with me) and was so uncomfortable the entire time” (Source).
A Lesson In Maturity.
“Back in high school we had a kid who has aspergers and was a little weird. He was, however, amazing at the yo-yo, having picked one up during middle school when we had that yo-yo trick assembly. After everyone else had stopped walking the dog in 8th grade, this guy was doing more and more elaborate tricks every day during lunch. He was bullied and teased but he continued doing what he loved. So, at our ten year reunion, people from every strata of high school popularity was there, including this guy. He was his same old self, but more confident. I asked him if he still yo-yos, and he busted out his custom made titanium yo-yo that he said he made on a CNC lathe. He then starts to do some tricks and a large crowd gathered around. It was quite the show, he had gotten very good. When he finished, people clapped and cheered, and even the jockiest dudes from back in the day fist bumped him and told him how badass he was. So I guess the biggest transformation was everyone else. Nobody teased him for being who he was anymore, they now admired him for being so passionate about something” (Source).
Polar Opposite Twins.
“Twin sisters. The good one straight A student and a perfect angel is now 90 pounds soaking wet and just finished her 4th stint in rehab for drugs. The one who was a troublemaker and constantly in trouble even arrested a few times for drugs and shoplifting while in high school, is a doctor with a family. They’re fraternal twins. I have stayed in touch with the ‘bad’ girl who’s a doctor. Our reunion was in 2012. The reunion was the first time they spoke in 4-5 years and she really hasn’t spoken to her sister since” (Source).
No One Saw That Coming.
“My husband and I went to the same high school but met years later. He was the football player all the girls wanted in bed and all the guys wanted to be with. I was the one people threw against lockers and treated like trash. When my reunion came around, one of the girls I had kept in contact with asked me to help with the website, so I said what the hell. When we showed up, quite a few people asked why he was there. He had graduated 2 years earlier. He said he was with his wife and just and took his seat. I walked in and took a seat as they were thanking those who helped with the reunion. When they announced my name, people looked around slightly confused. I stood, like the others and you could hear a pin drop. Apparently I changed quite a bit in that ten years. My husband raised his glass and smiled again. It was awesome” (Source).
Hello Matthew!
“Matthew. He was so small and… pasty. Made white bread look like toast and weighed ~100 pounds when I had last seen him. Barely stood 5’6″. He had joined the army, and somebody gave him the Captain America Serum, and taught him how to sing/dance/play the guitar. When the 6’2″ 230lb muscled model walked in, all the soccer moms gasped for air. When he picked up the guitar and started singing Garth Brooks songs (yes, my 10 year happened when Garth Brooks happened), their panties hit the floor. I still wonder if a country music star, killed, ate, and stole the identity of my little pasty friend” (Source).
Reconnecting.
“One girl who sat next to me in English class in junior and senior year. Thick coke bottle glasses, a bird’s nest of thick curly hair. She was always very nice and very smart, but super quiet and introverted. I was an extroverted, outgoing jackass so I used to ask her to read parts when we studied Shakespeare, invited her into my group for group projects and made her take speaking roles, that kind of thing. She was never really comfortable talking about herself and we never hung out outside of class, so I left school not knowing much about her except that she was smart, quick to grin at a joke, and had strong feelings about ‘The Crucible.’ Ten years later, this gorgeous woman shows up to our reunion. Smoking hot redhead, sparkling blue eyes, built like a brick house. That goofy teenage grin had turned into a confident, knowing smile. She knew how to dress and make herself up to emphasize her assets and minimize her flaws. She was jaw-droppingly stunning. We talked for a good hour. She was just a late bloomer. I apologized for always volunteering her for public speaking and she said it was one of the things that made her start to confront her shyness. She ended up going to an ivy league school and became a journalist, of all things. We still chat from time to time. No, we didn’t hook up. I was happily engaged by my 10 year reunion and well settled into my career. She lived in Africa on assignment from a wire service. We were in very different places in our lives and I was and am happy to count her as a friend” (Source).
Lots and Lots Of Changes.
“One of the least attractive, least popular girls in my high school ended up as a soft porn model. Another girl who was just “normal” but got kind of ignored a lot is now unbelievably hot and also a neurosurgeon. We had another kid in our class who never spoke. As in, he said maybe five words the entirety of high school. He is now a highly respected trial attorney” (Source).
Very Big Indeed.
“My boyfriend went to his 10 year over the weekend. Saw this overly made up, rather unattractive woman he didn’t know. Turned out to be one of his old football buddies… So, I’d say that was a very big transformation” (Source).
It’s Never Too Late.
“There was a guy in my class that was a big meathead and was known to be a huge bully and womanizer. He is now an easy-going artist that hugs everyone and has a very zen demeanor. At our 10 year reunion, he told me how excited he was to atone and let everyone know that he has changed. I thought it was incredibly touching and my respect for him is fully restored” (Source).
Way To Go James.
“There was one kid who changed massively, but he didn’t come to the reunion. In school, he was the most dyslexic kid, worst at math, bottom of every class. His only love was making homemade bombs on his farm and blowing s–t up with them. He went to a college in Cornwall or Wales or something, that specialized in mining – because he figured that way he could work with explosives. So fast-forward almost ten years, and I am finally getting my bachelor’s degree. I took a bit longer than most people do, but I had just got the results from my last few exams and I had finally passed. I was basking in that elation when my phone rang and it’s this guy. He just got his PhD for building a f–king robot that goes into mines and fires f–king lasers everywhere to make a 3D scan of the mine without endangering any humans. He built a robot with lasers on it. And had a PhD. Way to take the wind out of my sails, James” (Source).
Went To Highschool With A Real Vampire.
“On the flip side I know someone who hasn’t aged since high school. No extra fat, no wobbles, no gray hair, nothing. Even his voice is the same at thirty as it was at fourteen. I’m pretty sure he’s a vampire” (Source).
Everyone’s Reunion Dream.
“This happened at my 5 year. This kid that everyone made a scapegoat in high school is LOADED. He was the kid that certain groups would pretend to be friends with and then do something horrible to him as a ‘joke’ like de-pantsing him in front of the whole lunch room or teasing him about his small dick till he cried (not sure if he actually had one or not just high school a–holes being a–holes). Turns out that he won some sort of contest/scholarship thing for this space engineering idea and ended up going to school in California for free. I guess he worked super hard and was able to graduate a year early and now is just like rich as fuck working for some sort of space engineering thing that works closely with NASA. It was funny listening to all the people who use to make fun of him just listen to his life story with their mouths hanging wide open. He has no debt, owns a beautiful home in California and another ‘cabin’ home in our home state (MN), drives beautiful cars, hangs out with beautiful people. All at the ripe age of 24. You could practically smell the jealousy. Plus he brought his smoking hot gf. It made me so happy for him” (Source).
Fingers Crossed.
“The kid who was stealing motorcycles and selling them for parts is now a police officer. He was never accused or convicted of course but I knew that for a fact. Let’s hope people sometimes do change” (Source).
No One Saw That Coming.
“This one guy used to be kind a of a bully, seemed not to give a f–k about school, had bad grades, skipped class and did some drugs in school. I wasn’t bothered by him and didn’t interact with the guy that much as I wasn’t a target of his antics. If you asked me how I thought he turned out, I would’ve guessed he was now doing some kind of manual work and had no education. Turns out he co-created one of the most recognizable clothing brands in my country and has multiple brick and mortar locations. His brand is worn by some big names. He’s a successful businessman and he’s probably worth millions. I think it’s pretty f–king cool he turned out that way” (Source).
Make Sure They Never Forget.
“There was the definite cases of ‘who is that fat person who ate my friend’ but the most unreal thing at mine was the girl no one knew or remembered. Holy s–t. So we were a pretty close graduating class, everyone at least knew or remembered everyone else. Except this one girl, absolutely hammered, and no one knew her. She was so outrageous, that everyone came up to me asking if I hired an escort to be funny. This chick is all over every single guy there, hanging on ’em trying to dance (when there was no music and it was the cocktail hour), grinding on them in front of their wives (still no music, that was later). But she also knew everyone’s names and stories, like stories a best friend would know. But not a single person knew who she was. When she slammed back about 10 tequila shots in a as many minutes and then proceeded to grope, manhandle, smoosh-smoosh every guy, it went to a whole new level of weird. Someone had brought an old yearbook, and sure enough the name she gave was in it, but no clubs/activities, she looked somewhat similar to the 10 year old pic to where it probably wasn’t a party crasher or someone’s spouse just having a laugh, and still not a single person who knew her. She was amazing to watch, just the shear amount of IDGAF she exuded was hilarious. Then she threw up. on the dance floor. Stood up, kicked the vomit with her shoes and started dancing some more then ran to the bar for more beer. Last I saw, the old class Pres was trying to get her to drink water as she was passed out in a chair with more puke in her hair, while mumbling about how happy she was she voted for the class Pres ten years ago. I can only imagine her thought process leading up to the reunion. She definitely made sure people knew her, except if you asked anyone there I guarantee you they still couldn’t tell you her name. I left before she got cattle carted away. But if your looking for an example of who to be at our reunion, DEFINITELY BE HER. I guarantee you will have a blast and look back on it and giggle with the total amount of WTF you create” (Source).
Such An Inspiration…
“My 10-year was after email was invented, but before social media. So I got an email out of the blue one day from a girl I’d gone to high school with. She was organizing the 10-year reunion and wanted to know if I could come. I told her I wouldn’t be able to make it, so she wrote again asking for my address, because she wanted to put together a directory and hand it out at the reunion. As a joke, I emailed her back with the address of a cell block in a North Carolina prison. I intended to email her back the next day with an explanation and my actual address. I completely forgot to do this. I had pretty much completely forgotten about this until years later on a weekend trip to my hometown, I noticed a few furtive glances, and someone finally said they were glad to see I’d gotten out of prison and that I didn’t seem to have been harmed by the experience. They wanted to know how long I’d been in. They were polite enough not to ask what I’d done to deserve being locked up. It took me 20 minutes and a prolonged question-and-answer period to figure out what the f–k they were talking about. All of this was 15 years ago. To this day, someone will occasionally post a comment on my Facebook page about how my current success is just such an inspiration, because it shows how someone can serve time in prison and then turn their life around” (Source).
What Happens To A Skinny Nerd In Prison.
“Skinny nerdy guy got busted for selling a couple hundred thousand dollars worth of adobe software in college and spent 15 months in prison. He came out super buff”(Source).
What A Reputation.
“A dude that I saw drop acid in class on multiple occasions had become a youth preacher. The girl voted best looking had become a chain-smoking drunk who had somehow aged 30 years in a decade. The goth girl that I would sometimes smoke weed and talk about John Waters movies with had become some kind of Stepford wife. A lot of people seemed genuinely shocked that I hadn’t been stabbed to death in a back alley somewhere. Never realized I had such a reputation in high school” (Source).
The Truth Behind Highschool Reunions
“At the 10 year it’s all about who was successful. At the 20 it’s about kids. That’s the one I just went to. We did it over 2 days with the first being a small dinner party at a bar; we rented out a room. The second day was a family day at a local amusement park where we pooled for tickets, rented a pavilion, and had lunch catered. At 30… “Who is left” starts. There was a prayer for our classmates who passed before the dinner, and it took a few minutes to get through all the names. Also, at the 30, everyone’s more honest about their jobs. No more exaggerating. If there’s any bragging, it’s about how soon they can retire from it. I’ve got my 40th coming up, and it’s probably about grandkids. They’re already smearing them all over Facebook” (Source).
Wasn’t Invited…
“I honestly wouldn’t know, as I was not invited. Nor was most of the class. The organizers (who also were the yearbook clique back in the day) sent out a few invites on Facebook (which I don’t have) and relied on word of mouth, from what I heard. No one that I still talk to went, or even knew about it. Turns out, only 50 of about 300 people actually got together. Hooray class of 2005. A shame, it would’ve been interesting” (Source).
He Was A Little Busy.
“I used to pass notes to a guy in Algebra class… mostly song lyrics. I’d write a line pass it to him, he’d write a line, back and forth. He was a quiet kid and friends with some other friends of mine who were big into BMX bikes and skateboards. I took a bunch of photos of these guys for my photography class. At graduation he said he was heading to California to ride BMX. He never came to a reunion… he was too busy playing rhythm guitar in Guns N Roses as Izzy Stradlin” (Source).
Not Handling It Well.
“Went to my 10 year this August. I showed up around 7 in the evening and everyone one was in decent spirits, having a few beers, except for this one guy. He was already fall down, stumble drunk, and people were generally ‘aware’ of him but tolerating him. By 8 he was knocking over tables, and by 9 had completely destroyed the bathroom with vomit. I ask a few friends, ‘Hey, what’s up with drunkasf–k over there? Had one too many, huh?’ Turns out this time last year he’d slept with another mutual high school friend’s girlfriend at the time and he’d killed himself 2 days later. I didn’t make the connection but our 10 year was the 1 year anniversary of our classmate’s suicide and the guy who may have played a role in that wasn’t taking it very well” (Source).