I have been blessed to have the opportunities I've had to go to events that impact my life and influence who I am today. The one that stands out from them all was my favorite; Buckeye Boys State. Not only did I grow intellectually, but I grew personally. I learned about Ohio's state government and also about the way I interact around strangers.
The
smartest young men from every corner of Ohio are selected to go to Bowling
Green University for a week in the summer and run a mock state government. I
felt honored to be nominated and accepted for such a enriching opportunity.
Spending a week with highly intellectual, motivated students helped me push my
work ethic to the next level because we competed for positions in the state
government. Once I arrived at Bowling Green and met the students with whom I
would share the same floor, or “city,” for the next week, I immediately felt at
home. No, it was not just because of the people or the campus, but rather just
the idea and feeling of college life. That week was my first taste of what it
must mean to be a college student.
During the first few days, the
counselors helped us organize by political party. I was a Federalist determined
to beat my Nationalist counterpart for a spot in the state senate. I campaigned
harder than I ever thought I could, putting ads all over the campus. After the
elections, the whole program was student run. We got up early every morning,
ate breakfast, went to work, ate lunch, and went back to work until three. Then
we had the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted around campus.
For me, most of that free time was
spent bonding with the guys on my floor. We would gather in someone’s dorm and
talk about life at home, joke around, play pranks, and even show each other
pictures of our girlfriends. At home, I never really bonded well with other
guys. Most of my friends were girls until that week. The experience and
acceptance let me know that I am able to make those kinds of friends. I still
feel close to them, even though we have all been apart for a half of a year. I
can tell these friendships are going to last a lifetime.
