With Big-Little coming up, I was so excited to be a Big for the very first time, but when I got my Littles, I suddenly felt pressure to make sure they had the best BBYO experiences. Throughout my years in BBYO, I’ve seen people show up to one event and never come back, or even quit after a year or two. When I got my Littles, I didn’t want to be the reason their BBYO journeys came to an end.

Suddenly, I had a mission: be the best Big possible. I spent days thinking about a theme, what to buy them, and what we shared in common. I was so scared that they wouldn’t like it or would give up on BBYO forever.

But then, as I was painting their signs that I had spent hours planning and sketching out, I realized that the answer was right in front of me. The time I had spent planning, buying, and making things for my Littles was all so I could give them the best possible experience, but the physical gifts weren’t what would make them stay, although they might help. It was the time and effort put into it.

I wanted my Littles to know how amazing BBYO could be and how the sisterhood they were joining would change them forever. I love BBYO, and the effort I put into everything shows it. I hope that one day my Littles will be able to do the same and pass that same effort down to their Littles.

Being a Big was never about buying gifts or having the best theme. It was about showing your Littles how amazing BBYO is and giving them a role model they can come to for anything.

Every event they attend, every convention they sign up for, and every new friend they make allows me to see the impact I’ve left on them and the impact they are beginning to make themselves.