The Best And Worst Transformations Seen During School Reunions, As Shared By These 30 Internet Users

"I stay in touch with some students—social media has made this a lot easier—and there are a few I meet with in person, either to touch base as a mentor or just to catch up," Professor McLendon, from the University of Kansas, shared with Bored Panda.

"A few have gone into teaching, either full-time or part-time, which is always nice to see," she told us that some of her students have followed in her footsteps.

Bored Panda wanted to get the professor's opinion on what educators can do to encourage their students to aim for the stars, and how to pick up their spirits if they haven't (yet) achieved what they set out to after graduation.

According to Professor McLendon, there are two parts to inspiring students to aim high. "One, give them a solid foundation to build their skills and knowledge on, so they’ll be able to succeed at whatever they choose to pursue," she said.

"Two, give them support and encouragement—and the benefit of your own network, if possible—to help them get where they want to be," she explained what educators can do.

Meanwhile, if someone feels like they still haven't lived up to their potential after graduating, the support and encouragement they get from their former professors or teachers can really help.

"Lots of people don’t get there right away, or end up somewhere else completely, and if students see how others have navigated their career paths, it helps instill some patience and also an openness to other possible pathways," the professor told us.

Whether we like it or not, we’re social animals. We need other people and their approval to feel good. We’re hardwired for communication and cooperation. That, at least in part, explains why some individuals might feel apprehensive about going to their high school reunions. They might think that who they are now won’t leave a positive enough impression on their former classmates.

You might not be where you imagined yourself when you were back in school. Or you might feel embarrassed about how you look, the choices you’ve made. Some people might even feel that they haven’t changed at all over the years. Or that they’re not as ‘cool’ as they were when they were a teenager. In short, we think it’s fair to say that nearly everyone wants to leave a positive impression. Bold, beautiful, successful, witty, and charming—that’s what we want to be seen as.

The irony, of course, is that everyone’s so worried about their own self-image that they don’t really notice the things that we’re worried about. (Though, on the flip side, people really do gossip over the smallest flaws, too. But there’s no way that you can eradicate gossip without taking away what makes our species ‘human’ in the first place. And... gossip can actually have some benefits, too, like encouraging cooperation and helping 'reform' mean individuals.)

We think that it’s best to… just be yourself. If you’re happy, if you feel that you’re successful based on what’s most important to you, then that’s wonderful. But don’t skip out on your school reunion just because you think someone might not like your haircut or suit. You never know, it might be a lot of fun catching up with the people who used to be your friends. And it’s the perfect opportunity to act goofy and childlike for an evening.

One pet peeve of ours is that no matter how successful we are, the moment we walk into that reunion, someone is bound to start reminiscing about the good old days and sharing a ton of embarrassing stories that you’d rather forget. You know, Pandas, the kind of stuff you suddenly remember when you’re showering or when you go get a glass of water at 5 o’clock in the morning. Thanks, Chad, thanks for reminding everyone of the time Jim puked after eating a bad taco. You too, Stacy, you’re just wonderful for bringing up the story about how Alice got spooked on the stage and started stuttering. Brilliant…

It’s probably a question of ‘when,’ not ‘if’ someone’s going to bring up your past. And even though our instincts might yell at us to cringe and shy away, it’s best to do the opposite. Lean into the embarrassment. Embrace it. Laugh it off. Show everyone you’re having fun. Ironically, this is what’s going to make people love you more: accepting your flaws, not trying to pretend you never had any.

Vanessa Bohns, an Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior at Cornell University, explained to Bored Panda during an interview for a previous article that not hiding our embarrassment helps us connect with people better.

“Displaying signs of mild embarrassment can actually be socially constructive and make people feel more sympathetic towards you in the face of your faux pas. I don’t necessarily think you need to take pains to hide it,” she told us that others value honesty and being genuine.

By accepting our feelings of embarrassment and awkwardness, we also put a stop to them morphing into feelings of shame.

“What you want to be careful not to do is to let embarrassment morph into the more destructive self-conscious emotion of shame, where you feel so badly about a minor mistake that you start to think there is something wrong with you and feel the need to completely disappear and hide away yourself,” Vanessa said.