It was late at night after a BBYO event, and I sat outside in the cold with some friends. We were wrapped in blankets, shivering, but too caught up in our conversation to go inside. And someone asked, "What's one thing you wish you could tell your younger self?" And there we were, staring at each other in the dark, trying to come up with words that weren't just a cliché.

One by one, people started to share. A few talked about regrets, things they had wished they'd done differently, words they'd hoped to say. I remember getting this weird feeling–a kind of deep, bittersweet one–because I realized every person was holding onto something we could never change. And then it hit me: this was it. These people, this experience, this time we had together–it was all temporary.

I remember looking around at their faces and thinking in a few short years, we'd all go our separate ways. Some of us were off to college, some moved away, and life kept pulling us in different directions. And one day, these late-night talks and early-morning sunrises would be just a memory. I'd be left with the pictures on my phone and the feeling of nostalgia, wishing I could go back, even for a moment, to feel it all again.

So, BBYO's here for a few years, then it's over. And when you look back, you see those years were a gift. It's so easy to hold back, to hesitate, to wonder if you're really "cut out" for it. But if there's one thing BBYO teaches you, it's to lean in and to laugh with friends who were strangers just months ago, to show up when it matters, and make memories that'll stay with you long after BBYO is just a chapter in your life. Because years down the line, you will remember those nights spent talking, laughing, and realizing you were part of something bigger than yourself. And you will learn how much BBYO gave you, something that words don't exactly explain but something you will carry with you for the rest of your life. So take those opportunities and make BBYO the experience that you want because you only have five years to do it.