Inspiration - that magic word has for centuries motivated people to achieve the impossible. When I met Sara at Girls State this year that is exactly what she did - inspire me to run for Governor.
As Governor of Girls State 2009, Sara presided over the 2010 week at ... University. With 600 competitive girls eyeing each other with caution and craving for attention, you would think, that there would be little chance of her talking to me. But, the day I met Sara will be etched in my memory forever. Her first question to me was: "Are you running for anything?" I said no, because I was not sure what I wanted to do at Girls State. But her question sparked something inside me. Maybe, I should run for something. The nightmare of fourth-grade SCA elections, when I had ran for historian and garnered only nine votes, came back to haunt me. Of course, I figured popularity played a part in school elections. But how was Girls State any different? Surrounded by gorgeous models and social butterflies, my insecurities flared up. The Girls State world intimidated me. My list of credentials did not matter in the august crowd of intelligent, talented young ladies. I realized I feared failure and decided to undertake this as a challenge.
When I announced to my city that I was running for governor, I received immense support. It felt great to be loved. While I worked on my nomination speech, the girls in my city set out quickly to make witty posters, colorful bandanas, and come up with cheers for me. One cheer in particular made me smile: "You're so fine, you're so fine, you blow my mind!" Without their support, I would have backed out of my goal. But what really kept me going was the idea of being just like Sara. I wanted to be sophisticated like her. I wanted to be poised in manner and speech like her. I wanted to be everything that I wasn't. But I was different in my own way and that's why my city supported me.
Sara represented Barrett City, my city, last year. She stayed in our dorm for the rest of the week. Before my nomination speech, she asked me about my platform and gave me a couple of tips. I figured it was her duty to encourage everyone, but nonetheless, I felt honored that she took time out of her schedule to talk to me. As the day for the convention approached, I practiced my speech harder because I wanted to make her proud of her former city. On the day of the convention election, while giving my speech, I looked to the back, to find her sitting there. She had come to listen to my speech. She, the former governor of Girls State, had come to listen to me, an ordinary girl with just a dream, give a speech. She probably doesn't know it, but her presence gave me courage. Her presence made me realize that I had potential to always reach for the best. Her presence made me stronger to face failure, if it were to happen again. I won, though. I shed tears of joy, to know that the girls in my party had accepted me.
That night, we went back to the dorms together. She told me about her experience at Girls State and how she prepared for the final election. She told me to relax and take it easy. That night, I went to sleep thinking, "It's not about me. I want to represent my city and the people who support me."With the final elections, I lost to a better and more qualified candidate. The loss did not bother me, because looking back at that week, I had made a personal victory.
We had a chat before Sara left for home. Our open-hearted conversation felt energizing; I cried and I laughed, and I was glad to have met her. She has inspired me in many ways: to overcome my fears, expand my horizons, and reach for the stars. And maybe, Dr. Seuss was right, "There are some things, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on." But on I'll go...
All comments and criticism are appreciated. I hope I didn't make anyone's eyes bleed. XD
I feel that my writing is childish and just bland.
-Harini
As Governor of Girls State 2009, Sara presided over the 2010 week at ... University. With 600 competitive girls eyeing each other with caution and craving for attention, you would think, that there would be little chance of her talking to me. But, the day I met Sara will be etched in my memory forever. Her first question to me was: "Are you running for anything?" I said no, because I was not sure what I wanted to do at Girls State. But her question sparked something inside me. Maybe, I should run for something. The nightmare of fourth-grade SCA elections, when I had ran for historian and garnered only nine votes, came back to haunt me. Of course, I figured popularity played a part in school elections. But how was Girls State any different? Surrounded by gorgeous models and social butterflies, my insecurities flared up. The Girls State world intimidated me. My list of credentials did not matter in the august crowd of intelligent, talented young ladies. I realized I feared failure and decided to undertake this as a challenge.
When I announced to my city that I was running for governor, I received immense support. It felt great to be loved. While I worked on my nomination speech, the girls in my city set out quickly to make witty posters, colorful bandanas, and come up with cheers for me. One cheer in particular made me smile: "You're so fine, you're so fine, you blow my mind!" Without their support, I would have backed out of my goal. But what really kept me going was the idea of being just like Sara. I wanted to be sophisticated like her. I wanted to be poised in manner and speech like her. I wanted to be everything that I wasn't. But I was different in my own way and that's why my city supported me.
Sara represented Barrett City, my city, last year. She stayed in our dorm for the rest of the week. Before my nomination speech, she asked me about my platform and gave me a couple of tips. I figured it was her duty to encourage everyone, but nonetheless, I felt honored that she took time out of her schedule to talk to me. As the day for the convention approached, I practiced my speech harder because I wanted to make her proud of her former city. On the day of the convention election, while giving my speech, I looked to the back, to find her sitting there. She had come to listen to my speech. She, the former governor of Girls State, had come to listen to me, an ordinary girl with just a dream, give a speech. She probably doesn't know it, but her presence gave me courage. Her presence made me realize that I had potential to always reach for the best. Her presence made me stronger to face failure, if it were to happen again. I won, though. I shed tears of joy, to know that the girls in my party had accepted me.
That night, we went back to the dorms together. She told me about her experience at Girls State and how she prepared for the final election. She told me to relax and take it easy. That night, I went to sleep thinking, "It's not about me. I want to represent my city and the people who support me."With the final elections, I lost to a better and more qualified candidate. The loss did not bother me, because looking back at that week, I had made a personal victory.
We had a chat before Sara left for home. Our open-hearted conversation felt energizing; I cried and I laughed, and I was glad to have met her. She has inspired me in many ways: to overcome my fears, expand my horizons, and reach for the stars. And maybe, Dr. Seuss was right, "There are some things, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won't want to go on." But on I'll go...
All comments and criticism are appreciated. I hope I didn't make anyone's eyes bleed. XD
I feel that my writing is childish and just bland.
-Harini
