LAGS by Chance, Sisters by Choice

You assume that being here for 7 days is enough time. I started packing thinking “Gosh I’ve got to pack for 7 days. I am going to be away from home for so long.” I started to get overwhelmed by the thought of being far from home for so long without anyone there. I had no idea what I was going to walk into, and I did not know anybody. 

Then, eventually, you find your people. When you find your people, Monday blends in with Tuesday, then suddenly it's Wednesday and the week is half way done, then it's Thursday, and you realize you only have two nights left. So, you make the most out of Thursday night and stay up so late that when Parish Reflection time rolls around it clicks that this is the last full day, and last full night you will be with these girls. The waterworks start up and it gets so uncontrollable that 48 out of 48 are crying. 

Like I said, when I first walked in I was so nervous. I didn't know who my roommate was gonna be and I was filled with all the “what if’s?” What if she is mean? What if she is lame? What if she is better than me? Then I opened my dorm door, and I met Saige. It was a little awkward at first but after ten minutes it was so easy. That’s when I knew I had a friend. I hoped and prayed that every girl I meet would be just as nice and easy to talk to. Only I didn’t know that it would be everyone. The counselors come “mustering” on our doors, and we all walk out laughing forming “two by twos”. That is when there were these three girls in front of me. One tall blonde, Olivia, and two short brunettes, Ally and Tam. Somehow we just started a conversation and were laughing and bonding over Saige’s Metaglasses. These are my people. 

After Sunday afternoon, we were very close. Then, all Monday we got even closer, and we started hanging out everywhere, at every event, and even hanging out in Ally and Olivia’s dorm late at night. I grew a bond with these girls faster than anyone I have ever. It was like they have been my friends for years when in reality it was only 24 hours. It wasn’t only them too. There were girls like Clair, Molly, Avery, Laurel, AC, and literally every girl that I have come in contact with since I have arrived. These girls here are not only the most exceptional and qualified girls in their schools, but they are also the most compassionate, the most understanding, the most opening, and the funniest. The bond that every girl has given me has healed me. 

I have always had a rough time back at home with friends, drama, exes, family, self imaging, and confidence, but here I found my voice. That isn’t because I just decided to be a different person the minute I walked into Ascension Hall, it is because of the girls here and my best friends that I have made along the way. Although I didn’t get to be a state elected officer, I would have never even went out and tried if it wasn’t for the support and love from girls like Avery, Claire, Sydney, Ava, Molly, Ann, Evie, Brooklyn, and every other girl in my parish that provided me their vow of confidence in me. I especially want to highlight my best friends Ally and Olivia. Without them I wouldn’t have even had a speech prepared with me on stage. Without them, I would have taken that defeat as a losing moment for me instead of a learning moment. Without them, I probably would’ve cried when I lost both Governor and Girl’s Nation all on the same day. Without any of my girls I wouldn’t have laughed as much as I have. I wouldn’t have loved as much as I have. I especially wouldn't have learned how much compassion there is in the world. 

My friends I have made along the way, and even the people I have only had the chance to talk to once have shaped me for the better. From E-Lo telling us that we get out of girls state what we put in on our very first day to Aubrey Singleton reminding me that debating doesn’t have to be stressful, and it is okay to have your own opinion. Hannah Salsberry, Zoe Sonnier, Liza Lahaye, Emma Bourgeois, Scarlett O’Glee, Lauren Loris, and so many more. These are just a handful of names that have changed me for the better. To every stranger that has turned into a sister, I am writing this for you. I appreciate you on a level that words could never say. I love you on a level that words could never describe. This is what I got out of Girl’s State.