I started in BBYO at the beginning of my Freshman year. I was shy and quiet, and I had no interest in making friends. I just wanted to get through my year unbothered. Surprisingly, in high school, the thing I was most nervous about was lunch. Who would I sit with? Where would I sit? So many thoughts crossed my head. At the very beginning of my day, my teacher assigned a senior to walk me to my classes as I had no clue where I was going. Four periods passed by, and eventually, it became the part that I dreaded. The scary thoughts came back as I walked into the cafeteria. Then I saw the girl who was walking me around all day. To my surprise, she also had lunch this period. Bravely, I walked over to her and asked if I could sit with her. Yes, a freshman went up to a senior and sat down with her. Pretty weird, I am aware. About 10 minutes into lunch, a weird guy sat down with us. He started talking to us, and I realized he had a Jewish star around his neck. I pointed it out to him, and then, of course, we started talking about all of the Jews we both knew. He would not stop talking about this annoying Jewish organization. Honestly, it was extremely irritating, and I wanted nothing to do with it. So then, why am I sitting here writing this? That weird kid got me to join BBYO, and I will forever be grateful for that. I have turned into someone who is confident, has tons of friends, and loves being Jewish. I cannot thank BBYO enough, and that is why I, Sydney Elaina Buchwald, am the proudest BBG around.