Story by Saja Saad, Lakeville; Edited by Lale Akkin, Mounds View; Image by Nicholas Anderson, Irondale
Arriving to conference is an exciting experience for all. Whether you are new or returning, everyone can agree that YIG is packed with engaging activities and amazing people. The first day of YIG can be hectic and exhausting for many people, but nevertheless, it reminds many people of all the fun times they’ve had in the past, leading them to think of all the new opportunities they will have in the coming years.
“I expected it to be similar enough to what I did last year, but I don’t think you can ever fully expect YIG in general; the whole craziness of it all what people’s bills can be and such,” shared returner Ben Schnarr from the Mounds View Delegation. Although you can expect an outline of each day, there is no telling what surprises await. Experiencing out-of-the-norm things add a lot of excitement for many people at YIG.
Like every year, new people join the YIG family. Kyla Campbell from the Lakeville Delegation says, “My first day at YIG was super fun. I got to meet a bunch of new people, my bill passed through committee and through house unanimously which was super fun.” Having a bill get passed is a very exciting achievement that can boost a delegate’s confidence at YIG. Making friends is also another fun part about YIG, and because there are so many different people with their own personalities, everyone is bound to make a few new friends each conference.
Showing up to the conference can take a lot of courage and can be quite nerve-wracking; this is especially true for newcomers who haven’t experienced this type of program before. Even so, at a certain point, people begin to ease into the conference. Layla Burggraff from New Prague says, “This is my very, very first year at YIG and so I thought it would be like way more stressful than it was, but it was actually not bad.”
The first day of YIG was a blast for many people, and left much to look forward to for the rest of the conference.