1st in State 🥳

Younger Colors #205

At 4-H and FBLA Conferences, sleep is for the weak.

On Friday, I left for the ER All-Star 4-H Conference! I had a fantastic time serving our community and local shelters in our service projects. Better yet, I got to do it with all of my friends! We made trophies, crafted earrings, pulled weeds, and more for the people of Tennessee. While at Crossville’s 4-H Center, we also elected our new leaders! Congratulations to everyone.

We adjourned Sunday afternoon, and I had thirty minutes by the time I got home to pack and meet FBLA for the next conference. I had only gotten about 10 hours of sleep over the last 72 hours, so I was dragging.

I take home first in the state!

I would recap every little moment if I could, but there has been so much I’ve been up to in the past week. I still have hundreds of photos to edit! Everything lead up to the closing ceremony where they announced the winners of each competition. I felt so sick to my stomach, especially when another Digital Video competitor, Swagat, told me we’d be up against 12 schools (I previously thought 2.)

I was thrilled to learn I placed in the top 8 when they initially called us behind the stage. I practically ran over there, and that’s when I realized I was the only one who competed in Digital Video Production without a team! I was up against 3 people from each of the 12 teams, and this is when I got very nervous. I am a huge team player, so I knew I’d be proud of all of the winners even if I was not one of them. I clapped for every single winner.

I’m in front of at least 2000.

Swagat wins third! I am so overjoyed to be standing on stage with all of these amazing people that I kind of just take everything in. It was a lot to process. The next thing I know, the announcer says something like, “And 1st place from blah blah High School, something something Clean!” Again, I was so nervous the sound of my own heart beating trumped the dozens of speakers saying my name.

I think, wait, did Bro seriously just get my name wrong?

And then I’m looking at the President asking, “Wait, what place is this?” I was so restless I just had to be sure.

And like an idiot, I accept my trophy and begin crying in front of all of these people. I’m in front of at least 2000, what am I thinking!? I run over and hug Carson who is trying to do her job as the new Vice-President and endlessly congratulate all of the other competitors. I didn’t have a team, and I come from one of the smallest FBLA chapters in the state; how is this even probable?

It was definitely my Ke Huy Quan moment.