skip to main content
687009cd6be537d41e41ddf9_BBYO IC 2022 _ Kandel-3736 Medium

”You must be the change you want to see in your life.”

Although a change in your routine, group of friends and your extracurricular activities can be intimidating, it can lead you on a fulfilling path to something that will benefit you.

In my opinion, accepting that life is full of changes is what allows us to live to the fullest. I believe in the importance of learning to close stages, chapters, and stories in our lives because that is precisely what one needs to do in order to truly live. We can exist more calmly while genuinely enjoying what we have without worrying about when we will lose it. Changing, renewing, and taking risks also helps you persevere through a challenge. 

This year, I will begin a new chapter in my life known as EDMA. It is a program that teaches participants how to be a Madricha. A Madricha educates children and teens about life and Judaism through various games and discussions. I also will begin a new journey in school, as my classes will be changed. I’ll begin with an orientation that influences what I decide to study at a university. All of that these decisions were made by me and only by me. You create your own path in life. You decide when to change and you decide what to change.

In conclusion, when you have to decide between playing it safe or taking a risk, choose the latter. Although making a change can be difficult, it is more difficult to carry the regret of not taking a risk.

All views expressed on content written for The Shofar represent the opinions and thoughts of the individual authors. The author biography represents the author at the time in which they were in BBYO.

Explore More Stories

Group of people celebrating on stage
Rewind
“With All Your Heart:” Thank You, ILTC

A personal reflection on how ILTC challenged me to step outside my comfort zone, become a better listener and leader, and find a deeper connection to the future of the Jewish community.

Profile picture of Firstname Lastname
Lev Shulman Deerfield, Illinois, United States
Group of people celebrating on stage
Connection
Perlman (Spikeball) Summer

Read about my time at Perlman playing Spikeball.

Profile picture of Firstname Lastname
Jesse Vaytsman Cleveland, Ohio, United States
Group of people celebrating on stage
Identity
The Place I Left Behind and the Place That Found Me

From feeling like an outsider in a place I loved to finding belonging with people from around the world, this is the story of how BBYO Summer changed me for the better.

Profile picture of Firstname Lastname
Hannah Birnbaum Johns Creek, Georgia, United States