I used to walk with my head down in middle school until one day I looked up – feeling the strain of my neck in a new position – and a teacher immediately said hi to me.
Later, on the first day of junior year in high school, I immediately noticed a new girl standing on the outer edge of a group of my classmates. I’m not sure what came over me, because I’m usually not very forward or outgoing, but I walked over to her and said “Hi.” The new girl was a foreign exchange student from Vietnam, and she became one of my best high school friends. She inadvertently sparked my love of Asian cultures which led to me study Mandarin Chinese in college.
Making friends is challenging. I don’t talk much in large group settings, and have consequently felt left out many times. I thought no one wanted to talk to me. Here’s the kicker – I wasn’t talking to anybody either.
Someone has to initiate the conversation.
Most of the time it might seem unfruitful, but sometimes it sparks a friendship. If you are genuinely interested in them, then the other person will pick up on that.
Just say “hi.”
One more thing: don’t judge them before you meet them! One of my best friends when I was younger was someone I didn’t want to be friends with at first simply because of their hairstyle. (I know it was dumb of me, and we became good friends despite my misjudgment.)