I could start this post with the moment I walked into BBYO at the JCC in Scotch Plains at 7:15 on some random Wednesday night, with my close friend dragging me along. I knew then that soon that place would become home—and it did. That is where my BBYO flame sparked, but not where it ignited.

I could say my flame ignited the moment I got inducted into our chapter's board last June, or the nights spent at board meetings, or the conventions I went to. However, it truly ignited on Thursday, February 13th, 2025. Some of you may recognize this date as IC 2025. Trust me, I know everyone writes about how IC changed their lives and how you’ll make incredible friends. But for me, it was different.

The turning point in my BBYO journey was when I got to see firsthand thousands of us—Jews—coming together from all around the world. This, to me, felt like a place of unity. When we sang a few prayers together—and yet, this felt different from singing in a temple—it felt like we were making a difference. I believe that in that room, standing together, we showed the world that hate will never bring us down. Here we were, standing all together: a room full of Jews in a world full of antisemitism.

I also felt the leadership in that room. As I listened to Joelle speak, I saw her heart full of passion—a place where she could be herself, a place where she loved our organization, and most sacred of all, a place where she was simply a BBG. This was the turning point in my journey. I felt more inspired than ever. I decided I wanted to do everything I could to help grow our organization, starting with my regional and chapter levels.

I began to steer our Spirit Con, where I planned and lead a Shabbat service. I also did another fundraiser for our chapter where we raised around $300. But soon I saw my journey as chapter Gizborit come to a close. I decided I wanted to make a bigger impact and run for our regional board.

Here’s where the mountains come into my BBYO journey. But as Hannah Montana always says, “There's always gonna be another mountain, I'm always gonna wanna make it move, Always gonna be an uphill battle, Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose, Ain't about how fast I get there, Ain't about what's waiting on the other side, It's the climb.”

I ran for regional Gizborit—and lost. So I decided to run for chapter N’siah, which led to sliding for Mazkirah, then Sh’li­cha, and then Achot—all of which I lost. At this point, I knew in my heart that I wouldn’t give up, but I just couldn’t understand why everyone couldn't see my love and passion for BBYO. I began overthinking it—maybe my speech wasn’t good enough, or I should’ve prepared more for the sliding positions. I don’t think I will ever find out what I did wrong, but to me, that’s alright now.

On the night that I got uninstalled, my friend Maya came up to me, more known as my regional N’siah. She looked me in the eye, gave me the biggest smile, and said something that I’ll never forget: “I am so, so proud of you! I see all your passion, I promise you, and I don’t want you to let these losses stop you from doing something incredible. I know that you’ll apply for every damn committee you can because that’s just the type of person you are.”

That night, I left with some tears, but I also left with a mentor bigger than my dreams, a supporter, and a fire glowing brighter in my heart. This year wasn’t an easy one for me, but it also led me right here—to the end of this post—doing exactly what I promised: keeping my flame alive and supporting this organization in every way I can.