45 People Share the Biggest Transformations They’ve Seen at High School Reunions

Teen years can be rough, and it takes a while to grow into our bodies. High school can be quite challenging for overweight kids because there is inevitably some sort of bullying going on.

But, once you get out of that environment, sometimes there’s a major transformation, and we think it’s really great that this guy found happiness in his partner and in loving his body.

Reunions can be eye-opening and give you some insight into where everybody’s head was in high school. You may find that plenty of people played roles just so that society would be okay with them.

Amazingly, this woman was able to find herself despite being put into a box when she was in high school. It was probably still pretty shocking to this guy though. We just hope he reacted well.

We anticipate seeing everybody having changed when we get ready to go to a school reunion. If we’re honest, there’s always that one person we hope kind of aged poorly, and it’s usually the person who made our lives miserable.

But, to walk in and have someone not have changed at all has to be pretty frustrating. Now it’s time to start asking what exactly is their secret!

Twins may look alike, but very rarely are they alike when it comes to personality. Frequently you have one that is very straight-laced and the other that’s a little more carefree. But, who knows how long that will last!

It’s not completely shocking to us that after years the twins switched places, although it is pretty funny. But, we bet it was pretty shocking to their parents!

Sometimes, when you go to reunions, the most shocking transformation is the ones done by the people who don’t show up. It would be so awesome to know that we went to school with someone who wound up being famous!

Though we would have been a little disappointed that our buddy from Guns’ N Roses didn’t show up, we would have still understood. After all, he’s a very busy man!

Age is just a number, and when it comes to meeting your soulmate, it doesn’t really play a part. So it’s cool that this person found their soulmate in someone they actually went to school with (plus, two years really isn’t a massive difference).

But, we can understand why people were a little confused at seeing them together during her reunion as they were from such different cliques in school. We can imagine how much fun she had, though, when everyone finally figured it out!

It’s hard to tell when you’re in high school who will be successful and who will continue to struggle. But, never count anybody out — as this story shows us, the quiet and goofy kid made something of himself.

We would probably have been so embarrassed to know how we treated this poor guy when we saw him star in quite a few seriously loved movies. Pretty impressive!

Sometimes, when you’re a kid and your family struggles to make ends meet, it gives you a drive that others don’t have. We think that’s probably what happened here because this kid clearly turned it around and focused on making sure he would never go without anything again.

We think it’s great that this kid was able to buckle down and really work hard in order to create a life for himself that most people probably didn’t expect he would ever have. Good for him!

Everybody goes through phases when they’re in high school. Going through high school as a punk nerd and being in that awkward body phase, can be seriously hard. Especially, when you just don’t have the money to change at least some of that.

This had to be one heck of a surprise when everybody saw this ex-punk walk in looking fabulous like she did! We just hope they didn’t try to suck up and get a little of her attention, especially those who treated her poorly in high school.

Sometimes, we were a certain way in high school because that’s all we’ve ever known. But, then, once you get out into the world, you’re exposed to new things and find new passions and hobbies.

That’s probably what happened to this guy as he went from being the jock to becoming a yogi. It’s got to be way less stressful and allows him to be a little more open with everyone.

There are a lot of growing pains when you go through high school and college because you’re trying to find who you are. This may mean there are some wrong turns, and you turn into someone you just don’t like.

This guy seems to have figured that out and found his way to being ready to reach out and heal some of the wounds that he created for it. We think that’s amazing, and we hope he gets to do that with as many people as possible.

Just because a kid in high school is a little bit of a loner and likes to partake in questionable activities doesn’t mean they’re not going to amount to anything. But, we could see why people would be shocked that the guy went from hanging out with the skaters in the back of the gym to teaching science.

It’s amazing when someone finds their passion. Frequently, it doesn’t happen until later in life. So, we hope these guys gave this man the respect he deserves.

In high school, some kids tend to act out depending on what’s going on in their life. Sometimes, this leads them to get in trouble with the law, which could be a pretty good thing.

This can often lead to something along the lines of this story where this kid went from being a criminal to a police officer. We think it’s amazing that he turned his life around!

Sometimes, when you’re in high school, you just really don’t care what other people think of you. Or maybe you’re in a situation where you must be strong and not let everything get to you.

Either way, this kid clearly figured it all out because he ended up being a lawyer. What an amazing transition and way to use the negative things he went through in school.

Everybody goes through different things in high school. Sometimes, those that are the most well-known for getting in trouble often wind up being the most respected members of the community.

So, when someone does this 180 turn, some people are bound to be a little shocked. We’re happy that this poster found something that gives him peace and that he didn’t end up like many people thought he would!

Struggling with a subject is something we can all relate to. Everybody has that one subject where they just couldn’t quite cut it. But, to turn around from someone who couldn’t do it to becoming a teacher who teaches it is something completely different.

We guess the old adage is true that those that can’t do, teach. This guy must have been pretty dedicated to figuring out the problem, which is cool. Plus, we bet that the fact that he struggled with it made him a better teacher, as it helped him relate to his students.

When we decided to go to our high school reunions, the truth is that many of us looked forward to seeing how much everybody had changed. Sometimes though, we get way more than we bargained for!

It can be pretty frustrating when everybody has changed, and you’re the only one who hasn’t. Then again, that could be a good thing too. It all depends on how you look at it!

As you mature, your body changes, and through other life experiences, it changes even more. So, it’s not surprising that sometimes the girls that were super thin and always having boyfriends might end up with a few extra pounds.

All we can say is we hope that she was kind to the girls that she was harsh to in high school. Otherwise, that’s just asking for more karmic retribution.

Sometimes, when you’re in high school, you have that one friend you’re always in classes with and talk with nonstop. You hang out with people only at school, and once you leave, you rarely talk again.

We think it would be pretty shocking if one of those people turned out to be a rocket engineer. Especially if that wasn’t anything that you ever talked about!

Things happen and change in life as you get older. You can’t expect to look the same at your high school reunion as you did when you walked down the graduation aisle.

For some, though, seeing the most popular girl in class looking like everybody else was a little joy. We understand that, but you also have to understand that life happens!

It can be hard in high school when you aren’t being truthful about who you are. There are reasons that this happens, and it can take a lot longer than four years to find your way to embrace that truth.

It’s really cool that this guy was able to find his truth and attend his high school reunion. We’re sure all the other girls were a little shocked but hopefully welcoming.

It occasionally happens that kids who are super thin and a little smart tend to be bullied a lot. This can lead them to try to be cool by doing things that just aren’t right. Hopefully, this kid learned his lesson and continued to walk the straight and narrow after his little stint.

But, it looks like some good did come out of it. At least he’s not skinny anymore! We’re sure that he walked into his high school reunion looking all buff and had everybody wondering what his secret was.

The transition from being a teenager to an adult can bring with it a lot of changes. Some of those changes are enhanced via our choices, and this guy chose to join the military. That meant that he was going to wind up being pretty physical.

It had to be amazing for him to be able to walk in and look like that and then show his other talents as well. We applaud him for his bravery!

As teens in high school, we often have to get a summer job. Those summer jobs can actually turn out to be pretty amazing, at least it did for this guy!

This guy seemed smarter than people expected and way more focused than they gave him credit. Bravo to him for being so business savvy and minded at such a young age.

Running a high school reunion function has to be pretty challenging. There are so many working parts and so much money necessary that often people reach out to alumni to help them out.

The fact that this guy was able to help out and get the event rolling was amazing. It seems it was so amazing that it brought back a few surprising guests, too! We’d be pretty surprised if someone came back from the dead!

It may have sounded like a good idea to go to the high school union, but when you got there, maybe it didn’t turn out the way you thought it would. If everyone was sad and depressed, who would want to stay at a party like that!

So, we can understand why this person bolted. We probably would have done the same if everybody acted like this, and the vibe was so negative. They probably enjoyed the evening much more with their current friends anyway.

We all do it whether we want to or not — we put people in boxes. For kids who were bullied or always getting in trouble, we all thought they would wind up in prison or worse.

We would be pretty surprised, too, if we were at our reunion and figured out that one of our ex-classmates designed our outfit. He’s living proof that you can turn things around, and we’re glad this guy was able to move on from his horrible high school experience.

Sometimes, it takes going down a dark path to find your way to the light. No matter what faith or spirituality you embrace, sometimes having lived on the other side makes it simpler and more meaningful when you find your path.

That being said, those who knew them before this will always be a little shocked. We know we would have been, but we would have been very happy for them as long as they understood and respected our choices as well.

It’s common for kids who get in trouble with the law to find themselves later in life in the law enforcement industry. So, we’re not surprised that this kid from high school selling some questionable products would be a lawyer.

The fact that he’s one of the best might be a little more surprising. But, hey, it just shows dedication, and we’re glad he found his way out of the life of crime.

There are societal expectations put on us from the time we’re born. So sometimes, during those formative high school years, we just do whatever we need to make us fit in with the rest of the crowd. Whether that makes us happy or not!

It’s great that this woman was finally able to drop those shackles and find a path to her true self. She has to be so much happier than she was in high school!

You might go to your reunion to see how everyone has changed, but others go to show how far they’ve come from your high school days. After all, we’re sure this guy was super happy to let everybody know he didn’t go down the wrong path.

It’s amazing that this guy worked his way into a life that many people would dream of. It looks like his success has rubbed off on his son too, who will hopefully be just as happy to show off at his own future reunion.

Sometimes transformation happens naturally, and other times it happens with a lot of hard work. Those who went through a very awkward high school experience are often more focused on achieving goals to make themselves feel and look better.

S,o we think it’s great that this poster wants to toot their own horn because they clearly did a lot of work and deserve it. We just hope their social skills have buffed up just as much as every other part of them.

It’s horrible to think of, but, sometimes, going through a traumatic high school experience can give a person drive and focus to get to a transformative state. This guy, who seems to have been bullied for being awkward, decided to utilize that to focus on making himself feel good.

We think it’s great he turned his lemons of a high school experience into a pretty awesome lemonade. Good for him, and we hope he’s happy!

Most of the time in high school, we’re driven by what our parents expect. So, that means we are often focused on our education, which may make us seem a bit nerdy.

It wasn’t always cool to be a nerd; sometimes, that meant you had to wait to blossom until after you left. It’s not surprising that this young lady changed everything, and we hope that people still appreciate her for her brains as well as her looks.

Being overweight and smart in high school isn’t always the best way to have a good experience, as many would tell you. But, that means you’re able to focus more, and eventually, you might just surprise some people.

We’re so happy for this girl that she was able to attend her high school reunion and turn some heads. It probably made her feel really good!

Sometimes, the transformation comes from being able to think and make decisions independently. Obviously, when you’re in high school, your parents hold the reins of whatever you do, which means that you can’t express how you’d like most of the time.

This girl clearly made the transformation, and we’re glad she was able to do that. Though we probably would have been a little shocked and wondering who we were talking to at first, too!

Guys in high school always seem to be a little less than what most girls would expect. Often, they don’t care so much about their looks, or their personal hygiene. It also sometimes seems like they have no plans for the future.

But, just like girls, they go through a transformation. We would be shocked to see all the guys looking pretty good when we got to the reunion. Shocked, but very pleasantly surprised!

Part of the fun of reunions is getting to see people that you used to like but have just fallen out of touch with over the years. It’s especially cool when you feel like you’re the only one to know their real selves.

We bet it was pretty satisfying for this poster to see what a transformation the jerk kid when through. It was probably especially fun to finally have everyone realise what he has known for years.

Life cam throw curveballs at you and changes the path you are on. Sometimes, this is for the best, but sometimes it’s for the worse. But, whether it’s good or bad is really up to the individual living the life.

So, we think this person might be a little judgmental that the other person didn’t end up where they saw them. Maybe this girl is super happy in her life and didn’t need to be a doctor? Who knows! What we do know, is that happiness isn’t one-size-fits-all.

There are plenty of kids in high school that don’t fit in with any particular group. Usually, these kids wind up being tormented loners. This state can often lead them to hone in on skills others might not.

We think it’s great that this guy stuck with his hobby of being a yoyo player, and it’s even better now that he knows that all the people who made fun of him before think he’s pretty cool!

It seems that many of us think that who we are in high school will be who we are for the rest of our lives. But, that can’t be further from the truth. New passions appear as we age and are exposed to different things.

We think it’s great that this guy finally realized what made him happy after so many years. Though it also means that it took him such a long and stressful life to get there!

Sometimes, when you’re in high school, in order to fit in, you act like something that you’re not. This is tragic because often, that leads to people assuming that you’re never going to amount to much of anything.

We’re glad this guy got it all together and found his way to a pretty cool job. We’re sure nobody would have imagined the scapegoat would wind up working closely with NASA!

Some people have an easy time during high school because they fit in and look like everybody else. Others struggle because this is a period where they are transitioning, and maybe they’re a little more awkward than the rest.

To assume that’s the way they are always going to stay and treat them poorly, is just cruel and silly. This woman showed up and looked completely different. Just goes to show you that you should never assume you know how someone is going to turn out.

Sometimes, in high school, you just don’t feel like you’re in the body that you belong in. Questioning your identity (whether it has to do with your gender or not) can be pretty hard in such an unaccepting and harsh environment.

It’s so amazing that this person was brave enough to live his truth and share it with the people he went to school with. All we hope is that everybody was kind to him.