The Last Time
To: CoG 2007-2008
Sunday, December 9
The other governors just left. That leaves just Milam and me. And he’ll be gone in about an hour too. Sigh.
And so ends the last CoG. The last meeting of the Council of Governors in the 2007-2008 school year. The last time we’ll all be together in one room and one place. The last time I’ll be together with all 8 of some of my absolute best friends, JSA or otherwise. And – as much as I hope it won’t happen – maybe even the last time ever that I’ll see some of you. I’m sad.
Ann-Marie left earlier this morning – she overslept. We said goodbye to her in a hurry. Sooj left about an hour ago. I got to give her a hug and tell her I’ll probably see her in February. I dropped Bryan, Rita, Kyle, and Sasha off downstairs about 45 minutes ago – told Rita and Kyle that I’d probably see them in February, assured Bryan that I’d come see him when I visit Princeton, and told Sasha she better see me again. It wasn’t so bad then.
And then I came upstairs. I decided to take one last look at Room 529 – the room where we all convened and relaxed and hung out for so much of our free time this weekend. And I’ll be perfectly honest – my heart hit rock bottom as soon as I glanced into that room. It was empty. It was devoid of our mess all over the place. There was no one on the beds. Just a walk through the room made me think of the wonderful weekend we just had. The weekend that flew by so much faster than my flight will fly back to California. It made me think of the fact that this weekend was just a tiny little example of the relationships that I’ve built up with you guys over days and weeks and months and years. It’s been a long ride. It’s not quite over yet. But a big part of it is. And I can say this with full certainty – you guys have made every moment worth it. You really have.
I came to this CoG with at least somewhat of a sense of lethargy and apprehension. But the enthusiasm and cooperation and friendliness and kindness and awesomeness I was greeted with has uplifted me tremendously. I’ve been reminded of why JSA means so much to me and why I decided to dedicate my senior year to it.
I decided to write this because I felt it appropriate to capture and express my comments when they are still fresh in my head. After all of you left, I lay in bed (catching up on sleep and) thinking, and all that came to me was all the memories of CoG over the past year. It’s so hard to believe that we all began life as Governors all the way back in May. That first CoG, I didn’t really know what to expect. I didn’t know whether I would get along with everybody. I didn’t know what we would be doing. I didn’t even know some of you. And today, I can genuinely leave here saying that all of you are some of the most important people in my life.
Despite the fact that we’ve only been governors for about 7 months now, I’ve known some of you for almost 2 years now. I remember meeting Rita and Milam as fellow delegates to Montezuma all the way back in the summer before junior year. Ravi, Sasha, and Kyle were there as governors too. When this year started, I was looking forward to meeting them with just as much excitement and enthusiasm as I was apprehensive about getting to know these people called SooJin, Bryan, and Ann-Marie. I couldn’t have come further since then, with all three of these people having become just as important a part of my CoG memories as the 5 I already knew.
Anyway, this post is becoming far too negative. I guess what I’m trying to say is that, while I’m sad right now about the end of our very last opportunity to meet together as the best Council of Governors I could have asked for, I have gained so incredibly much from this group. I’ve made amazing friends, I’ve learned about an endless variety of topics, I’ve become a better leader, and I’ve had the opportunity to feel part of a group that I really think is special. Yes, we are special.
I think I’m going to end the post here. I will forever appreciate the experience that was CoG, I will forever remember and respect you guys as leaders and as friends, and I will always remember that CoG 2007-08 is one damn special group. Thanks for everything, guys. I’ll miss hanging out with you.
Monday, December 10
So I just re-read the post above. First of all, let me admit that I know that it is overly dramatic. I think I was just overwhelmed that we had already reached the end of our scheduled meetings together. Still, it’s going to suck not being able to hang out with you guys for a very long time.
But we have months ahead of us to work together and leave JSA in an even better position that is right now. You guys really serve as prime examples of the inspiration that keeps me going in JSA, so thank you for that. Not many people can brag about having friends in every single part of this nation, and nobody else I know can brag about having 8 governors as friends. Like Bryan mentioned in his note on Facebook, CoG has truly been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.
With that, I’ll stop. I can already see Ravi shaking his head at how ridiculous I am being, Rita thinking that I’m just silly, and Kyle looking for material he can quote in his memoirs. Haha. You guys rock.
—
Mohit Shewaramani
Southern California Governor
