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VOICES · Torch: U.S. · Summer 2016
VO(I)CES
seeing all your wonderful entries!
Remember also that National Convention offers the
erfect opportunity to converse with other students from
across the country about how to improve membership and
publicity! I know for a fact that some states have come up
with incredible ideas over the past year and are all too eager
to share at Nats! Try to step out of your shell and introduce
yourself to people and states you might not otherwise talk
to—you never know what great ideas they might have.
I hope you all are having a fantastic summer and I cannot
wait to see you all at convention!
Cura ut valeas,
Michael Kearney
NJCL First Vice President
Enjoy Convention
Salvete NJCL! NJCL Convention is basically knocking our
door down, and I'm bursting with excitement. Though it is
my last convention as a JCLer (I'll be back in later years), I am
confident that this convention will be one for the record
books. This last season of service and spirit shown by you
and your communities has built up much anticipation for
what is going to happen at NJCL. You all have exceeded all
expectations in not only execution of your service projects,
but the heart and soul that you put into them. During and
after state convention season, I had the privilege of seeing
your many photographs and post convention posts. What
struck me the most is the immense sense of humility and
gratitude that you all exuded this year. I am confident that
with this positive energy, we can continue making a
difference in our communities, especially at NJCL
Convention.
Speaking of NJCL Convention, I wanted to share a little
advice. Put down the source books and the buzzers you
inevitably have for practice, don't walk around with your
phone attached to your forehead, don't sprint from event to
event only staring at the ground, and don't worry about
making it to every event. I remember at my first national
convention, I felt compelled to do EVERYTHING. I sprinted
around campus, my short legs transporting me from tests to
creative arts contests to dances and back again, but one
thing was missing: making friends. At later conventions, I
found myself occasionally skipping contests to talk to a new
person I met and I found myself not looking at my phone or
study materials all week, I found myself enjoying convention.
This convention, don't just attend convention, enjoy
convention. Meet a new friend and if you're don't think you
can, you've already got one and it's me. I can't wait to see
you all at convention.
Keep it PG (Purple and Gold),
Hanna Seariac
NJCL Second Vice President
Together as One
Salvete Omnes! I hope every JCLer has had just as great a
year as I have had. Thank you all for allowing me this
amazing opportunity to serve as President this year, it was
truly one of the most rewarding experiences I have had with
the JCL.
The major project I have taken on this year is the Mosaic
Marathon that will be happening during convention,
Tuesday to Friday. This project welcomes every JCLer to learn
the art of Mosaics by participating in a mural of modern day
Pompeii. This mosaic represents this year's National
Convention and will be displayed in Bloomington. No
experience with art or mosaics is necessary, and everyone is
encouraged to stop by the outdoor Mosaic Marathon!
I've also presided over both the Fall and Spring Planning
meetings and have written the agendas for both. I have also
organized a total of seven Google Hangout Sessions for the
student board to discuss ideas and aid each other with our
endeavors. This has helped immensely due to the distance
between all of the officers. Even so, we have made all of our
meetings into successful conversations.
I would like to thank my mentors as they have helped me
so much with all of my ideas and have aided in making
everything happen, especially this winter when I suffered a
very serious head injury that I am still recovering from. These
mentors have made my recovery process much less stressful
for me, and I am so very thankful.
This year may be coming to a close, but the ambitions
of this board are not fading in any way. This year has been
full of success for our board, and I couldn't be more
appreciative of all the work we have accomplished together.
Ex Animo,
Brier Clough
NJCL President
End of the Odyssey
I cannot begin to thank all of you enough for an
incredible National Classics Week! Waking up each day to a
remarkable array of posts and outreach truly warmed my
heart. I hope you enjoyed all aspects of it—especially the lip-
sync that the NJCL Officers put together for the second year
in a row! However, even though the odyssey may be over, I’d
still love to hear from you regarding this year’s National
Classics Week. Was there anything you particularly enjoyed
or thought could have been better? Please email me at
[email protected] with that that or any other feedback!
Also, as we approach convention, make sure to submit to
the promotional video contest and membership contest (as
well as all the other great contests which the NJCL offers)—I
hope to keep up the momentum that we gained from last
year! Again, make sure to email or message me with
submissions or if you have any question. I look forward to