Back to School Survival Guide: Making Friends
July 28, 2021
Share your interests.
When having conversations with new people, a great way to identify a potential friend is to identify those who have similar interests. In order to do that, you should always feel comfortable sharing your favorite things to do with others. Whether it’s bike riding, hockey, a video game or something else, you’ll be surprised how many people out there like the same things.
Introduce yourself to a new person every day.
The key to making as many friends as possible is to talk to as many people as possible. Seek out a person that you’ve never met and introduce yourself to them.
Learn what interests others.
Ask others what kinds of things they like to do. Not only will you be able to find common ground more easily by learning what other people like, you may just pick up a new hobby this way too!
Join a school club or a team.
Joining a group is a great way to make friends because it puts you in a position where you spend a lot of time with your teammates. Learning to rely on your teammates can forge strong bonds and celebrations of shared successes.
Above all: be yourself.
The most authentic way to meet new friends is to just be yourself and not put too much pressure on yourself to act a certain way. It’s okay to laugh at yourself and be silly. People will feel more comfortable being around you if they feel like you don’t take things too seriously.
September marks National Life Insurance Awareness month and GBU Life is partnering with Optimity to bring our members a financial wellness check-in.
District 684 Brentwood, Pennsylvania and District 699 Frankenmuth, Michigan
A Life Dedicated to Heritage, Fellowship, and Service
The GBU Life Scholarship Awards support students in college, trade programs, non-college programs, and graduate school, helping them achieve their dreams, setting them on a career path and realizing life goals. Since its founding, the GBU Foundation has awarded 4,500 scholarships and educational grants totaling more than $3.2 million. In 2025, 215 members received $226,000 to support their two‑year, four‑year and graduate studies. Here’s a look at where the rubber meets the road — as we check in on past grantees to see how their scholarship awards have helped them stay on course, where they are now, and where they hope to be in the future.
To celebrate our 134th anniversary, GBU Life launched the Birthday Bash initiative, calling upon the GBU Life community to honor our fraternal legacy through service. GBU Life invited members, producers, and community leaders to assemble and deliver shelf-stable cake kits for individuals and families who may otherwise go without a birthday celebration. What can seem like a simple act of service could be the spark of hope someone needed.
GBU Life is expanding the power of your member benefits with an enhancement to LawAssure, the easy‑to‑use online service that helps you prepare essential legal documents from home.
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There’s something about summer that makes even the simplest meal feel like a celebration.
Summer vacation is an exciting time packed with trips, camps, and sports, but we’ve all reached that point where we hear those dreaded words: “I’m bored!” With GBU Life’s Give Back Group benefit, you can keep your family busy while helping others without the pressure of covering project costs.
It is time, once again, for the GBU Life annual summer photo contest! Send us your favorite photo that depicts the contest theme, The Golden Hour.