<human>: Can you summarize the given text in a few sentences?

I'm 18M and she's 17F. We broke up after dating for a year because I am going to college and she's staying in high school. 

We talked about it at length and both came to the decision that breaking up now would let us grow as individuals before we attempted to have a mature adult relationship. 

I'm almost positive I love this girl, but obviously I'm too young to really know what love is. We broke up about a month ago and I've met a couple girls in college but none of them are as great as her. 

We had lunch the other day and got along great as friends, no awkward sexual tension or anything. I know I'm young, naive, and need to see the world but is it possible keep this girl in my life despite her being my ex? She's an awesome person and even if we never dated again I'd love to just have her as a positive influence in my life. 

I'd love to hear stories/advice from people that have gone through situations like this. I'm just looking for advice on how to handle my relationship with her going forward. Thanks!
<bot>: Is it possible for us to stay friends the next couple of years or should I begin to separate myself from her and stop trying as hard to actively maintain a friendship