This time last year, I was still a general member of BBYO. Now, I am the Lake Ontario Region S’ganit.

It all started when I was told the chapter I had loved was beginning to fall apart. I was completely devastated. We had nobody run for chapter board, and all our seniors who had been on board were graduating. We were left with only a few eighth graders and a few freshmen with no leadership experience. We were told we’d either merge with our sibling chapter or create a committee. 

August came around, and nothing had changed. I realized that if I didn’t figure something out, nobody else would. So, I messaged my chapter group chat, and four amazing BBGS responded. We made a group chat and scheduled a meeting with our chapter and regional director in early September. The five of us went to the meeting, and four of us agreed to join our chapter's board. Many of us were scared to jump straight into these positions, but we knew our chapter was in dire need of leadership. My friends suggested I become chapter N’siah because of the dedication and love I already showed for our chapter. On September 7, we had our official chapter board, and I was N’siah.  

I had never been on a chapter board before, and I was N’siah in my first board position! I was super stressed, and I didn't know what to expect, but with the support of my region's staff, board, and alumni we went from eight active members to now more than 30! We broke our membership goal, and I’m proud to say that our chapter is active and full of strong, young leaders. I am confident will keep it thriving even after I and our other chapter leaders graduate. 

Being N’siah wasn’t always perfect, but is anything ever? I would do it all over again a million times if I could! Through this experience, I got to know so many people, learned a lot about myself, and gained important life skills.

In April, I decided I was ready to run for regional board after two terms of being chapter N’siah. It was very stressful, and I had never even listened to a regional speech before. I was super anxious the entire election. I tweaked my speech until it was perfect and practiced a million times!!! 

All the hard work I did paid off because in May, I was elected as Lake Ontario's 45th Regional S’ganit. 

I intend to work as hard as possible this year, just like I did for my chapter.

Going from a general member to a regional officer was such a rush. This year went by so quickly, and it was so much fun and an amazing experience.