I was an eighth grader walking into BBYO for the first time. It had been Signon BBYO’s kickoff barbecue and I was seeing everyone in my Jewish community for the first time since June. I had gone in and left early because of how lonely I had felt at the program. I had gone to a couple of more chapter meetings after that, but I was very dependent on whether people who I thought were my friends were going or not. When my friends did not let me know if they were going or not, I stopped going in total until my sophomore year.  In retrospect, I regret that decision so much because it caused me to not go to my favorite place until my sophomore year of high school. I missed a whole year of BBYO opportunities that I did not even know existed. 

Fast forward to the beginning of my sophomore year, I became best friends with someone I would call Mr. BBYO. Though he lived miles away, he sold this organization to me better than anyone else had in my own region. One thing that I took away from millions of conversations I had with him was that BBYO was a place where he felt safe to express himself and make millions of friends. He had begged me to go to my first regional event, Hudson Valley’s March Overnight, and I still did not like BBYO after the regional event because I did not attempt to combat the lonely feelings that I felt. Fast forward to HVR’s Spring Convention, I absolutely fell in love with BBYO. 

That night, I had experienced my first ever Separates  and it taught me that many people had the same feelings of loneliness that I had been feeling. It made me feel the least lonely I had ever been. After that, it inspired me to come out of my introverted shell and make friends. At that convention, I met my two best friends, Sasha Grossman and Alexa Paley. If I had not been encouraged to go and figure out a way to quit feeling lonely, I would not be the BBG I am today. 

Now in BBYO, there is never a moment I do not enjoy.  I am serving as my chapter’s S’ganit and I feel the complete opposite way that I felt as an eighth grader. Some advice that I have for people who do not fall in love with BBYO immediately is to always give it a second chance and come out of your shell because if you don’t, you will never know what opportunities or friendships will arise.