Fall 2015
An Ode to San Antonio
By Hannah Barrett, NJCL Historian, Shaker Heights
I seriously considered writing an actual ode,
complete with strophe and antistrophe, but my thoughts
scrambled to jump on the page without the restriction of
Pindaric or Horatian structure. After all, I have words of
gratitude, friendship, and love all battling to be chosen for
these sentences.
When you run for National Office, your preconvention and convention experience is consumed by
anxiousness and hardcore preparation. You either embrace
your nerves and drag your friends around campaigning or
sit on your dorm bed at 2:30 a.m. hurriedly planning out
your schedule for the next day, or both. You sit at
Thursday’s GA, fidgeting, ears pounding, unable to focus on
anything but what is to come. When it happens, you cry.
You wipe your cheeks, grin through the tears, and stand up
with wobbly knees. And when you’re finally on stage,
wondering how you got there, you look up at your
delegation and feel your jubilant grin growing all over
again.
Looking up at the swarm of Ohioans from the stage,
I felt nothing but gratitude. I don’t think I said it well
enough in person. At OJCL Convention last year, I asked you
all to “stand by me”. I wasn’t ready for the response I
received. Ohio became a mob, ready to help me in any way
I needed. The spirited camaraderie of every fellowship,
every ping pong match, and every certamen round gave
me confidence. At OJCL Convention last year, I promised "I
won't cry. I won't cry. No, I won't shed a tear.”
Unfortunately, this is a promise I simply am not able to
keep. The happy, grateful tears are flowing, and there’s no
stopping them once they start. Because I can’t hug each
and every one of you hard enough, let my words embrace
you and squeeze you tight. Stay classy and stand by each
other, OJCL. Ubi concordia, ibi victoria.
Fide et amore,
Hannah Barrett
D K ,AHAC O KJ O
O KJ HN
2015 NJCL Convention Memories Video
By Hannah Barrett, NJCL Historian, Shaker Heights
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