BSM senior, Blake Mahmood, is experiencing something he hasn’t had to do before—living without his family. Last winter, Mahmood’s family found out they had to make the move to California because his dad got a new job in Sacramento, but Mahmood decided not to go.

 Instead of living with his family this year, Mahmood decided to stay in Minnesota and live with his best friend and classmate, Zach Carden. It took Mahmood time to get settled in, but once he did, he felt at home. “It’s weird to live with another family after living with your own family for 17 years; I’ve had to learn all new things like where the dishes are in the kitchen and the rules of Zach’s parents,” Mahmood said. 

 Mahmood’s decision to stay was difficult because he was leaving his family behind, but he knows it was the right decision. He wanted to stay at BSM because of baseball and his friends, and he did not want to start over his senior year. “I wanted to finish what I started. I have been at BSM since ninth grade and wanted to spend my senior year with my friends instead of going somewhere else,” Mahmood said. 

Mahmood is using this as an opportunity to prepare for college. He won’t be living with his parents at college, and he will be hundreds of miles away then, too. “I’m treating it like college because next year I’ll see them even less, but I call my parents often, at least once a week. When I am with them, I make sure my time spent with them is meaningful,” Mahmood said.