June 2, 2024. The day I lost the election, I was so passionate about winning. I had run for my chapter’s board in the past, but I had never won a position. To set the scene, it was the end of my junior year, and I decided to run for chapter Sh’licha. After losing the position of Aym Ha’Chaverot the year prior, I was devastated, but I knew that I wanted to run for another position a year later. I spent the next year proving I was worthy enough to be my chapter’s Sh’licha. I spent weeks working on my platform and hours perfecting my speech to give myself a sense of preparedness. June 2, 2024, eventually rolled around, and I knew I was prepared and ready to share my ideas for the programming year. I gave my speech, waited for people to vote, and lost. I thought, “That’s fine. I can just drop down to another position and call it a day.” So I dropped down, and you guessed it! Lost again. I went home in tears and defeat. How did I lose? I did everything I was supposed to, was prepared, and knew what I was doing. So, how could I have lost again? I debated quitting BBYO as a whole and never returning to another event. All my love for BBYO deteriorated within an instant, and I was unable to think straight for a week. A week later, I realized that maybe I was just overreacting and that losing an election was not something to quit BBYO over. I had a hard time coming to my senses, but I eventually did, which made me the person I am now. 

Although I am not on my chapter’s board, I have found countless ways to still be involved with BBYO. As of today, I am steering my next regional convention along with Shabbat at IC. I am a writer for both my regional and international press corps. I like to view my loss as a learning experience, and as cliche as it sounds, I seriously mean it. From this experience, I’ve learned that you can’t always get what you want, but you can still be grateful for what you have. In this case, I am grateful that I have had the opportunity to take on multiple leadership positions throughout my BBYO career. I may have never served on a board, but my love for BBYO has never lessened.