This past summer, I went on my first BBYO summer program, CLTC 1.

One moment that particularly stuck with me was our first separates. The theme was “invisible string”. Each of us was given one end of a string that was connected to the middle of the circle. Our coordinator, Daphne, read multiple statements (for example, “stand up if you are the only BBG in your region who is on CLTC 1”). When one applied to you, you would bring your string back into the center of the circle and look around at who else was standing with you.

By the end of the ceremony, the strings were intertwined in one large knot in the middle of the room. This knot represented the connection between every BBG in that room. Daphne’s point was that we were all there for a reason: every moment in our lives leading up to that one brought us to that place, and to the people in it. 

That idea stuck with me long after the night had ended.

When I first got to CLTC, I was so nervous. I only knew two people, and to be honest, I did not know much of what to expect. I wasn’t sure yet if I would connect well with my bunk, my mock chapter, or if I would even make any friends at all. I spent the first two days trying to find a group that felt like my own. I sat at all different tables at meals, spoke to different people in my bunk, and tried to make a connection with most of the other girls there. Yes, I was lucky enough to find an amazing group of friends, and we all shared so many laughs, but I had not yet found my person. It seemed like everyone around me had already found a “best friend”, and I felt somewhat behind. 

Then, one day, seemingly out of nowhere, I found her: Rachel. We’d sat together at a few meals and spoken a couple of times very briefly, but I had not taken the time to truly get to know her. This time, I did. We laughed, shared vulnerable stories, and I knew I had found my person. 

On paper, it had seemed almost impossible. We were not in the same bunk or mock chapter, and we had not even been on the same bus when arriving at camp. But then, I thought back to Daphne’s invisible string theory, and I realized that our stories have always been connected. Our paths have always been meant to cross. Every moment leading up to this one had brought us together. 

Rachel and I live almost 1,300 miles away from each other, but CLTC brought us to one another. That is the kind of magical bond that a BBYO summer program can create in your life.