By Sree Vikram Karri | MacArthur City Counselor, Cameron County
“You’ve been selected to represent our school as a citizen at Badger Boys State.”
Those were the words spoken by my vice-principal to me six years ago, and words that I had no idea would change my life. I had no clue what Badger Boys State was about and kept asking myself, “why me?” When I arrived to Ripon for the week there was so much information I had to take in and understand. What city I was in, who was in my city, how elections would work, the boys state song and most importantly … why I was here.
Even though I didn’t see it, I was selected by my community because they saw something in me that I didn’t: Leadership. There was a lot of noise on the first day at Boys State, but the statement from my counselor that stood out to me was, “Take a Chance.” A very simple saying that all of us forget. I took many chances during my week at Boys State and had a few successes — and a lot of failures.
However, looking back I realize that my “failures” were actually amazing learning experiences. During the week I had the opportunity to learn more about government, work on my public speaking skills, offer new ideas to my fellow citizens, build new relationships and develop the qualities of a leader. All because I took a risk. I could have stressed out that I didn’t win the positions I ran for, but the fact was that a year from now no one I met at BBS would remember what I said in my speech or even what position I ran for. The only thing we remember about one another when we left BBS is how we made each other feel and the memories we shared together.
After BBS, I continued to take risks and go after opportunities that continued to develop me as a leader and a young man. Overall, it is the reason I come back every year as a counselor to help the next generation of leaders — you. I challenge you in this next week to “take a chance” and do something you never thought you would do. If you succeed, fantastic. And if you fail, even better! Badger Boys State is all about giving you the opportunity to succeed and fail while learning more about yourself than you ever thought was possible. Your community chose you because you truly have the qualities of a leader. You might not have seen it back home, and you might not fully see it while here at BBS, but I ensure you that you will. You’re here for a reason. So make friends, have fun and take a chance.
