I never anticipated hosting a Pennsylvania Student Council State Convention. However, I can now say I’ve done just that.
The Beginning:
Although it was almost two years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday. I was in my last week of eighth grade when my student council adviser at the time, Beth Bronson, called me into her room and asked me to help her host a convention. I accepted the offer instantly.
From the moment I accepted, I knew I wanted to have the theme be Broadway. I thought for a long time on what the convention would be called. I went back and forth before finally deciding to call the convention “We’re All In This Together.” I knew the moment I said it aloud that it was perfect. I never looked back.
“The 2023 PASC State Convention theme is all about diversity. It’s okay to not fit into the mold and stereotypes that society gives us. We can be who we are without having to worry about what other people might think. That’s part of the reason I love PASC & student council so much. When the world gives impossible expectations, we will always have PASC and student council to lean on,” Convention Chair Isabella Abbott said.
I was asked to go to a PASC (Pennsylvania Association of Student Councils) board meeting. Since we were hosting the convention, I had a spot on the Executive Board. I met many people at the meeting and began to feel more comfortable and at home around the members of the organization.
I was then tasked with finding three other people to also be hosts for the convention. At this point, I started panicking. The convention is a big deal, and I wanted to have the best people helping me host.
Luckily, I was able to find just the right people: Kinsley Palilla, Lana Luke and Isabella Abbott. The convention wouldn’t have been a success without the time and energy every single one of them put into it.
November:
August, September and October of 2022 passed without much action. However, in November, the four Convention Chairs as well as eight other helpers took a trip to Boyertown, Pennsylvania to go to the 2022 State Convention.
There were many good things that came out of the convention, as well as many not so good. But one thing can’t be denied. My fellow co-chairs and I grew closer than I ever could’ve imagined. Through sickness, coffee runs, Target shopping sprees and doughnuts, Boyertown is an experience that I will cherish forever.
Being handed the gavel on stage at the Boyertown State Convention was one of the best moments of my life. PASC isn’t just a piece of me. Before me, it was a piece of my grandfather, who hosted four conventions in Altoona. Now, we were coming full circle. I was thankful to have three incredible young leaders by my side.
February:
If the Convention wasn’t real before, at this point it certainly was.
February marked the time for the winter PASC Board meeting. During this time, we met with Boyertown, and they gave us advice about hosting that we took to heart and kept in mind. It was by this point we had committees created and committee chairs in charge and coming up with plans.
July:
Whirlwind month, whirlwind weekend is the best way to describe July and the July board meeting. This time, the entire board met in Altoona. Throughout this weekend, there were many tears, changes and laughs. Every moment brought a new obstacle, but every one of them we were able to overcome.
September:
September started my personal countdown. Everything else went on hold, and PASC and the Altoona State Convention were at the forefront of my mind.
To say my stress levels were high is the understatement of the century. Thank goodness coffee exists.
Throughout the month there were meetings about decorations and food. There were hours of conversation about the general sessions and who would speak when. I felt like everything was slipping from my hands. At least I did until we hit Sept. 21. The day before the start of the convention.
September 21: Set-up
The night before the conference, we were all over at the junior high setting up. Everything from tables and chairs, to stars and balloons and gift bags were prepared during this time. I thought the night was never going to end.
During this time, I was very much ready to be done with the conference. I was stressed and upset and felt incapable of being the leader the committees needed. But, we pulled through.
About partway through set up, I took a trip over to the high school where the general sessions would take place. I met with the band and got them prepared to open the first session the next morning.
Watching the band practice marching into the auditorium helped calm me down more than I expected it too. However, when they began to play, it hit me. The convention was tomorrow. We had made it.
An hour later, we left the high school and headed home. I left feeling ready for whatever the next 48 hours would bring.
September 22: Day One
By 7:30 in the morning, we were ready to go. It was showtime. When the first schools began to arrive, I took one look at the smiling faces around me and embraced the opportunity given to me.
Two hours later, with strained vocal chords and a happy heart, I headed over to the high school to prepare for the first general session.
I was asked to sing the National Anthem for the convention. Until the second I had to go on stage, I was pacing backstage and doing everything in my power not to freak out.
Five minutes before the first session, the four convention chairs met in a circle. I looked at the young women I had been working with and smiled. I turned to Abbott who said exactly what I was thinking. “We made it.”
Walking out on stage, hearing the cheers of the crowd and seeing all their excited faces, I felt a change. I wasn’t nervous anymore. I wouldn’t let nerves get in the way of what I had worked for. What we had worked for. I would enjoy this moment and the rest of the convention.
The rest of the first session passed in a blur. So did a majority of the second if I’m honest. I met with our keynote speaker, Nick Tokman, who was received wonderfully among the delegates.
While Tokman was speaking, I took my very first break of the day. I was able to sit in the back of the auditorium and listen. In this time, Tokman gave some of the best advice I have ever received.
“Just because you face failure doesn’t mean you are a failure,” Tokman said. With those words, Tokman gave me the courage to continue on and power through the next part of the conference.
(Madison Aboud )
We closed the evening with a performance from Jason Christopher, a hypnotist who had performed in Altoona at a State Convention 14 years ago as well. His performance was as hysterical as it was enthralling.
September 22: Day Two
Day two of the Convention hit me like a roller coaster. I felt a wave of relief that it was almost over, while an overwhelming sadness that it was coming to a close. However, I hold no regrets for how the day went.
Everyone was in an amazing mood at the beginning of day and were excited to see what else we had to offer.
We started the day off with Alexa Score who delivered a heartfelt and honest message to the delegates.
After that, students began on caucuses, roundtables and service projects. Against my will, the time flew by and it was time for the final general session.
I hadn’t planned on crying. Truly, I hadn’t. But, I was hit with a feeling I don’t often feel. Pride.
To me, this final general session reminded me of everything I had spent the past year and a half working for. I looked back and realized we had done it.
The end of the conference was like an actors’ final performance. They can’t wait to get through it until it’s time to end. Then the impact hits. It hit me like a freight train.
As I stood on stage for the final time as a convention chair, I looked out at my other chairpersons and pulled them in. I hugged them all and said, “I’m so proud of you all for what you have done. Thank you for being the best convention chairs I could ask for.”
At that moment, it didn’t matter if we were best friends. It didn’t matter the amount of fights, arguments, toil or tears that we all had or felt. In that moment, I realized just how far we’d come and how close we were to the end. I was sad, yes, but I was so proud of them all and everyone that helped. Sometimes, the end doesn’t mean the end. Sometimes, it is just the beginning.
“We had a few bumps in the road, but we were able to overcome those challenges and create an amazing occasion for all who attended,” Convention Chair Kinsley Palilla said.
The end of the convention has marked the end of a chapter in my life. It was a messy, crazy, amazing and awesome chapter, but a chapter nonetheless. A chapter has ended for me. The curtain has closed, but soon it will rise again. And I can’t wait to see where it takes me.
Left to right: Kinsley Pallila, Isabella Abbott, Madison Aboud and Lana Luke (Courtesy of David Aboud)
