When you first step into your board position it is usually very overwhelming. When I was newly inducted and in my second semester of 8th grade, I was nominated for the position of Gizborit. I did all the usual things including calling my parents, listing my qualifications, etc. Since this was spring term I felt less pressure, but still a lot of it. I was very excited and nervous for it. Soon my council counterpart reached out to me and said, “Congrats on being elected as Gizborit, I’m here if you have any questions at all throughout the term 🎉.”

This was the first thing to make me feel welcome into the BBYO board universe. I felt comfortable so quickly with her since she sent me a Game Pigeon which felt like a stress free way to bond with someone new. I soon realized how useful counterparts could truly be. We had a monthly counterpart call where she would check in with me and I could ask questions. We got to convention season and that’s when I couldn’t have been more grateful. Conventions can be very stressful planning for shuk and I barely felt that stress.

The upcoming term I decided to run for MIT Mom. I ended up serving as S’ganit after being nominated and served fall term 2024 as S’ganit on paper, but we had a very small board so I also served as Co-MIT Mom, Gizborit again, and at times Mazkirah. Clearly I was a part of a very small chapter that has since folded. As S'ganit, my counterpart reached out to me after I was elected and said, “I wanted to congratulate you on being elected and say that I am so so excited to work with you next term!” The enthusiasm really drew me to her. I later discovered that we actually went to the same sleepaway camp and saw her almost every day over the summer. When we got back and the term started I was of course planning programs but I was also planning our MIT Rush, and Preference Night as Co-MIT Mom.

This was a lot of pressure and to say I was stressed is an understatement. I had just started high school and essentially held 3 different board positions at once. I eventually left that chapter and switched to another one. The one I am in now which I switched into was the best choice I could have possibly made. I soon realized how much I missed being on board and decided to run off the floor the night before elections. I stayed up extremely late writing my speech and in the end I won! I soon became our Fall Term 2026 Mazkirah…

I absolutely loved this position. I am obsessed with Canva so this was perfect. I am very proud of the posts I made and how the term went as a whole. My counterpart for last term was actually amazing… She was a fast responder to texts and always had ideas on how to improve my posts. Now as I sit here writing this I am the current MIT Mom and nothing else. I just hosted an incredible Gilmore Girls MIT rush with an amazing amount of attendance. My current counterpart is probably the best I’ve had. She goes to a school with a lot of people who I know and she is so good at what she does. I don’t think I could have made it through planning my rush without her help. She had some amazing ideas and comments on how to improve my plan. I am so grateful for all of my counterparts and I think they are one of the best parts of being on board. Everyone should definitely take advantage of it whether it’s on the council, regional, or international level.