how do i make connections in highschool?

i’ve been on a bunch of college tours where this has been spoken about and honestly it comes down to whether they consider demonstrated interest during admissions. some colleges will keep in mind the people who come to their tours, or visit their website, or make contact with them etc., and others won’t. not all of them are exactly up front about considering it either, so i’d say if you’re really interested in going to a certain school it definitely wouldn’t hurt to read/interact with emails/websites or go on tours. as far as building connections, you could check out the school’s website and see if they have alumni or student chats where you can get to know people who have gone or are going to the school you’re interested in. i would also figure out who your admissions officer is for your area and shoot them an email introducing yourself and maybe asking a few questions just so you can put yourself on their radar. make sure to be polite and grammatically correct because when they go back and review your application, you want them to remember your name and how nice and smart you came off as. don’t worry about the awkward part, these people know high schoolers aren’t typically extraordinary communicators and they won’t judge too bad. just be kind and polite and they won’t even notice any awkwardness. anywho just don’t stress out about it too much !!! the more worried you are the more likely interactions are to come off as forced and impersonal. just stay cool you got this !! also kudos to u for being on top of it as a rising junior if you include that in any communications you have with college ppl that will definitely earn you brownie points :)