I joined BBYO in my 8th grade year, 2021, to be exact. I’ve seen two classes of seniors come and go, but what really stuck with me was how few of them there were. I am currently a sophomore and hope to continue my BBYO career throughout high school.

During regional elections, a candidate wrote in her speech about the spark of BBYO. She asked the room to raise our hands if we had ever felt the spark of BBYO dwindle. The entire room raised their hands. She then asked us to raise our hands again if it was real, and only half the room raised their hands.

Leadership opportunities are open to almost all teens. During my time as N'siah, I really enjoyed leading my chapter and watching it grow. I can't help but feel some sense of loneliness. As my sisters are having fun in the program, I am cleaning up the trash and thinking about the next icebreaker or activity I can use to pass the time and make sure my girls don't get bored. Though I am there to make sure everything is going as it should, I tend to miss the fun aspect. So I realized it is all in how I make it. I can ask a fellow board member to help me gather trash or ask the group about a game we can play. If I feel some sense of loneliness, I should find a new member I haven't spoken to before and start asking them about themselves!

To conclude, honestly, burnouts happen and are invetiable. Many people get wrapped up into thinking that this is our job, and in some ways, it is, but we can have fun while doing it, too!