When I started in BBYO, I had a goal to make the chapter board and become Morah. BBYO was something that was always a part of my life because of my mom and grandma being in BBYO. It was something I always wanted to do, and little did I know, someday it would be the most important thing in my life. 

Flash forward to May 2023, when I was running for chapter Morah. I ran against an older member who had more experience than me and of course, I lost. Through that election, though, I was elected as chapter Sh’licha, and never did I think that the position of Sh’licha would become my passion and the reason for staying in BBYO. The next term, I ran for chapter N’siah and lost, but dropped to Sh’licha and did another term. This continued to grow my passion for the position and grow my passion for the chapter and BBYO. Even though I had been elected to the board in some capacity, I had the sad lingering feeling throughout the term of how much I wanted to be N’siah. Thankfully, that term I had a new focus-running for regional S’ganit. Yes, I know what you’re thinking, regional sig? But you hadn’t held the position yet. I know it was crazy, but I had other qualifications through regional steering, IC steering, and planning many programs on my own, but yes, it was still insane. If you hadn’t guessed, I lost that election, but honestly, it motivated me even more. It motivated me to run for chapter S’ganit. This term became super hard, though, because I lost Sig and lost my drop to Shli. It made me question my place and if BBYO was worth it anymore. I had gone through multiple losses in a row, and losing elections to not getting chosen for steering positions. It was incredibly hard, but I didn’t want to give up yet. To me, BBYO wasn’t just about the positions or elections; it was about the friends, the experiences, and the growth I was making. That’s when I decided to give the ILN a try again.

Through the ILN, I applied for a lot, hoping to get even just one thing, and to my surprise, I got more than one. I was so grateful to get chosen to be a Spotify lead for the press corps, Global Shabbat Coordinator, chosen for the Stand Up Cohort, and be a part of the Talent Steering committee for IC. I was so incredibly excited to finally have a place in BBYO again. It was so hard not being on the Regional or Chapter board, but I was also so motivated by my positions in the ILN, and I found myself putting in hours to make sure everything was perfect. The ILN ended up being the place to pick me back up off the floor and re-motivate me in BBYO. 

The next term, I decided to give running for chapter N’siah another try. It was a position I had so much passion for and knew I would be able to do a great job in. Sadly, that term I lost again. I dropped to Sh’licha and was able to be elected to that position, which meant going into my third chapter term as Sh’licha. This term, I decided to give the regional board another try, but in a different position. This was the position I had passion for and had spent almost 2 years working in many positions to grow and be able to do that position super well. This was the position of regional Sh’licha. That term, I had also been selected as regional Judaic coordinator for SRC and was in charge of helping to plan J-serve. I was so excited to finally get to coordinate a convention and help plan J-serve. At SRC, I ran for regional Sh’lich, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst. It broke my heart when the worst happened. Even though I was prepared. Even though I had gone through the loss and many others before this was the one I was counting on and hoping for the most. Regional board had been my dream and goal for years, and all of a sudden, that dream was gone. A lot of people have asked me since then What has kept you going? Why do you keep trying? And I always answer the people, because when I lost that election, all the people who had been there for me for years, months, weeks, even days came up to me to hug me and slowly pick me back up after losing. It was the moments when the people whom I looked up to came to me and said they were motivated by my passion and the work that I had put in. Even though I had lost in so many ways, I also got to see why I had stayed, and I was able to see what BBYO was really about. 

I had sworn that would be my last election, whether I won or not, but there was this small feeling I had in the back of my mind telling me to give chapter N’siah another try. I wasn’t sure whether or not to try this, and so I decided to ask some people in my region, specifically one person who had lost a regional board position going into senior year and had decided to run for chapter n’siah. This wasn’t something common to do in my region, and so I wanted her advice. She told me to go for it, and it would help to keep me in BBYO and give me motivation. So I ran, and for the first time ever in my time in BBYO, I won my position. I didn’t have to drop or walk away without one. I had won! It felt like all those moments in BBYO, all the losses, the heartbreak, the hours of work, were all worth it for that moment. 

I know this was a long-winded way to share my entire BBYO election journey with you, but I promise it has a point. Don’t stop trying, don’t give up on BBYO, find your path even if it isn’t the one you thought you would end up on! BBYO truly has a place for everyone, and I know it’s insanely cliche, but you will always get back what you put in! Take the time to make BBYO your place, and it will do the rest!