Javier is the foreign exchange student that is staying with one of the amazing PTA moms at the school I teach at. I took her family photos a while back (click here to see her fun family!), and she reached out to see if I could do some pictures with Javier and his friends before they all went back to their home countries. So I’m naming this shoot Javier’s farewell portraits!

I loved getting to meet Javier and his friends! It was so odd being back at Allen High School. In a lot of ways, it feels like I just graduated from this same school yesterday. I’m wrong though, it’s been 12 years now since I have graduated from Allen High School, but I still feel like I’m young!

Their friendship reminded me of the ones I have with my own friends. They picked on one another freely (hi Sad Bear), had fun together, some of them were late (shout out to most of my friends), a couple of them were dating! The dynamics of wonderful friendships that can last a lifetime were all there and it makes me so sad that they’re going to be separated soon. I hope they keep up with one another and maybe find themselves in a spot where they can more easily be friends like they are now! Technology is great, but it’s not the same as physically being with your friends!

I hope these photos are something you can cherish and look back on to think fondly of this time at Allen High School and the friendships you’ve made in your short time here.