"Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards." – Søren Kierkegaard

Beginning this term, we could not have imagined the year we had and the memories we made. From the moment we were elected, we knew the future held something great—for our terms, for the order, and for all else to come during and after. The future never looked brighter.

Then began our first board retreat in Washington, D.C. Immediately, we clicked as a board, having so much fun alongside all of the work we were doing and all of the discussions we held about our positions and goals for the year. From bowling in the White House to then talking about BBYO Summer for hours, we balanced everything and made sure that we left no stone unturned.

Mercedes started her time at Perlman as Kallah Coordinator, meeting some of her now closest friends and working to create the best Kallah experience for all that came. Her work did not go unnoticed by those who were there, appreciating the experience that she had helped to create for all of them. Kallah finished, and the hype for the year to begin was higher than ever before as August Execs approached.

Our terms began on August 15, 2024, with our inductions as the 100th Grand and 80th International Board of BBYO during August Execs. We had so much fun running one of our favorite training programs on how to show up to programs to inspire others to show up in a more friendly and inviting manner as well. We made so many new friends and began our goal setting for the year for convention programming and attendance goals so that we could set the bar high and make sure everyone was excited to begin work on BBYO’s best event ever, International Convention 2025.

We returned home, and the true grind started. Jake and Mercedes would work for hours every day for two weeks to look through all 730+ applications on the ILN and create the best leadership team possible for IC and BBYO On Demand for the months ahead, alongside all the great new committees for this year: BBG 80th Anniversary Committee, AZAA/BBGG Coordinators, Saturday Night Captains, Experience Captains. As months progressed, so did our accomplishments. Working with the Talent team, we were able to help bring Swae Lee, Giancarlo Esposito, Disclosure, and so many other amazing talents to IC—amongst working with the largest IC Steering team (200+ people) yet. This experience was not only just for us to help lead a great event, but for us to learn from all the great leaders we worked alongside, learning from every interaction and growing our leadership skills alongside everyone.

After the most amazing and unforgettable time at IC 2025: Limitless Horizons, our work for Founder’s Fest began. Revitalizing this initiative, we selected the amazing coordinators and committee for the face of this new initiative. Weekly, we would have calls to strategize and push how we could expand, figuring out how we could get as many chapters and regions to take part, uniting us. In the end, we had over 45 programs for Founder’s Fest, setting another record in this amazing year and being the last leg of our incredible journey.

Thank you all for the memories and experiences this year and for allowing us to help you, and thank you all for teaching us how to be better leaders, whether directly or indirectly. In one way or another, whether we met or we didn’t, our actions impacted each other. In a world where we’re so connected, all we can do is thank each other for embarking on this journey together. So, for one last time…

I, Jake Solar, forever remain your 100th Grand Aleph S’gan.

I, Mercedes Benzaquen Melo, forever remain your 80th International S’ganit.

And, we wanted to leave you with just one more quote…

“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called the present.” – Master Oogway

Peace out, BBYO!!!