OJCL Torch Winter 2018 | Page 38

Stop Worrying and Enjoy Being a Normal JCL Delegate Davis DeFoor, Summit Country Day I’ll admit, I used to really want to be an officer. I had a glamorized view of it in my head, as if I couldn’t truly enjoy convention without being one of the ones to lead it. But I’ve come to realize that the best parts of convention are on-the-spot, spontaneous. Ridiculous one-point ping pong tournaments, playing cards with strangers, using phone flashlights to take “professional” photos the night of the dance, having a meaningful conversation with a friend. None of these moments were planned in advance, they just emerged naturally from the collection of interesting and enjoyable people that the JCL brings together. My big realization was that I don’t need to have a fancy position to make my time at convention worthwhile—the community does that on its own. So don’t fret about “relevancy”, or find yourself caught up in meaningless popularity contests. Enjoy yourself, and the rest of your Latin experience will flow forth on its own. Valete, amici. Here’s to a great year! 37