Let me paint a picture for you; it is March of my 8th grade year, and as I am leaving a chapter meeting, I feel someone lightly elbow my arm. It is my chapter N’siah, a senior whom I was 50% terrified of and 50% in awe of. I realized she had asked me a question, so I asked her to repeat herself. “I heard you might be running for Sig?” I had no clue what she was talking about, and looking back on it, I’m pretty sure she mixed me up with the other 8th grader who went to the chapter’s meetings. The 50% of me that was terrified of her somehow pushed the words “Yeah, but I want to know more about it” out of my mouth. Next thing I knew, I was practically caucused for my chapter’s board.

By some miracle, I actually ended up going through the election process with little to no stress, save for the 20 minutes I spent trying to get the printer working for my platform. However, the second I stepped up and began my speech, I felt the familiar nerves hit. I stuttered my way through the next 3 minutes, and I felt a weight lifted off my shoulders as I sat down in my chair, my cheeks redder than my region's mascot. As I heard the N’siah say a name that didn’t belong to me, my heart sank, and I convinced myself I would never come back again. Despite my need to go home, I wasn’t allowed to depart until each position had been elected. Even more unlucky was the fact that my slide was the next position to be elected. I stumbled through each question and explanation of my platform, and, to nobody’s surprise, did not win chapter MIT Mom.

At the end of this long, dreadful night, we only had one position open, the role of Mekesheret. The chapter Gizborit at the time nominated me, and finally, finally, I was elected to my first chapter board at 8 pm in the JCC parking lot. Though it wasn’t my first choice, or my second, I truly believe it was the right thing for me last year. I was able to watch how a chapter functioned and learn how to plan/execute a program without all the responsibility falling on me. Around March of last year, however, I decided to split from my chapter in Scarsdale and help make one in my town. After assisting in the founding of Shemesh BBYO, I decided to run for N’siah.

This time around, I was terrified. Not just at the thought of running against someone, but the thought of having the responsibility of the chapter in my hands. I turned in everything the week election packets came out, and spent almost a month working on my platform and speech. I ended up in a very similar position as the year before. I became chapter MIT Mom, and though it is not what I wanted at first, I see how much it has forced me to grow this year. I have become a more outgoing, energetic person, in part because I need to talk to new people all the time, but also because I have found a purpose in myself that wasn’t there before. 

If you are heading into election season, my biggest piece of advice is to trust that you will end up where you need to be. You may not end up being the position you caucused for, or slid to, but you don’t need to be in those positions to learn and grow within this organization. If you are unsure if you should run, you truly never know until you try. You could leave elections as Regional N’siah or without a position. No matter what happens, I promise, it is the right thing for you. All I have to say is stay with BBYO, because you never know what the next year might bring.