I have never truly understood who I am or why I act the way I do sometimes. I originally joined BBYO in 2023 just to have something else to fill up my week (Tuesday afternoons were getting unbearable for my parents to spend that much alone time with me), and HATED everything about BBYO at the start. As a little 8th grader with bright pink pimple patches and social anxiety so bad that I would shake anytime somebody talked to me, the notion of going to a random house or the JCC of Midwestchester every other Tuesday night scared the absolute living crap out of me. But my mom kept forcing me to go to every meeting, signed me up for kickoff, and eventually, my very first convention, Winco ‘23. Even though I spent most of the weekend plastered to the wall, only speaking when spoken to, I felt a strange connection to the organization.

After that weekend, I threw myself into the shallow end (I thought it was the deep end, but apparently had no depth perception) and attended every Aviv meeting I could manage, even with all the couch rotting I had going on. Around April of that year, I started talking to our N'siah about maybe running for chapter S’ganit. She told me it was a great idea and that I should definitely do it. So, after much hard thought, I wrote down my 3 accomplishments from that year and called it a platform. To absolutely nobody’s surprise, I did not get elected S’ganit. I didn’t even get my slide over, and at the end of a very long night, I was nominated for Mekasheret.

Last year changed everything for me. Even though my chapter was small, I learned how to run a program, and it was actually harder than it looked; what do you mean we don’t just post on Instagram and people show up? We actually have to text, plan, and have meetings on off weeks? Despite a rough start to freshman year, I attended every convention and overnight my region hosted, and made a huge leap by attending IC last February.

That was where it truly shifted for me, where I actually grasped just how powerful this movement is, and how many lives it has touched and shaped in the last 100 years. BBYO was no longer just about the board position I held or the work I did on paper; it was about creating meaningful experiences and bringing the full force of BBG to my chapter.

The month after going to IC, my town started a new chapter. Although it was extremely difficult to leave the chapter that fueled my love for BBYO, I knew that I needed to bring this magic to my own town. So, in June, I decided to run for N’siah. Though I didn’t get elected, I got something even better. I am currently serving as Shemesh BBYO’s MIT Mom, and only in the past 3 months have I realized how much I can really do. I am quickly learning how to balance chapter work, sports, school, and figure out international leadership opportunities. Being a BBG has taught me that even as one person, I can have an impact. The responsibilities I’ve held, the events I’ve planned, and the friendships I’ve built—all of it adds up. I’ve learned resilience, confidence, and the courage to step up even when I feel nervous. And yes, there are still awkward moments, but now I have learned to accept and embrace them as part of my BBYO journey, all shaping a mosaic of the people I have met and the things I have learned.

So who am I? I’m a BBG. I’m a sister. I’m a leader, a friend, and someone discovering herself through every shared smile, every cheer, and every late-night conversation with my sisters. The last 2 years have shown me that BBYO isn’t just an organization your parents make you join—it’s a space where you grow, belong, and realize the incredible things you can do, even as just one person. I am one. Only one. And thanks to BBG, I now see there’s so much I can do.