WYSE 2016

More pictures from our trip to the Capitol!

Thanks for a great week. ❤️

-A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold -Growing Tomorrow by Forrest Pritchard -How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie -The Giver by Lois Lowry

Leaving today was far more emotional than I initially expected it to be. I teared up so many times thinking about how I’ll never see some of the close friends that I made again because we all live in different parts of the country. Combined with those thoughts was Richard's heartwarming reading of the Lorax, a slideshow of our week set to the most dramatic music possible, and a sea of people crying all around me, making it nearly impossible to not get choked up. Luckily we all swapped Instagrams, Snapchats, and phone numbers so hopefully we’ll still keep in touch with eachother for months and even years after WYSE. On the first night the Director of Admissions at GM told us that we're going to have such an amazing experience that no one will understand unless they were here and that is becoming increasily evident! This week was filled with so much passion, emotion, and bonding on a deeper level that I just don't know how to put into words. It's been a truly unforgettable week and impactful experience.

I’ve had many people at various events that I’ve attended tell us (the audience) that we’re the people who are going to change xyz. I normally disregard it as some cliché phrase that carries no meaning, but today I finally understood. When Gina McCarthy told us that we are going to be the individuals who turn around this environmental crisis, I wholeheartedly agreed. The people who I attended WYSE with are some of the most passionate, determined, and knowledgeable people that I have ever met and I cannot wait to see all of the contributions that we make to the world as we grow older.

Today is the last day of WYSE and it’s a short one. We’re hearing a talk from Gina McCarthy, an administrator at the EPA, and then having a short closing ceremony which wraps up this phenomenal summit by 10am. I’m departing from campus around 11 and I honestly don’t know what to do after that! 😩 For the past week, every minute of my day has been planned out for me and spent alongside 300 other kids so the lonliness and freedom of being home again is going to take a little readjustment.

After about 2 hours of preparations, everyone was dressed and ready to go to the Gala. We had a running joke that we were going to Prom and even took a girls picture where we were all lined up! 😂 The buses then took us to the West Lake Marriott where we heard a short speech, had a delicious 3 course meal and partied. The music was not really my style (it was very 2011 esque) so I was basically a wall flower the whole time, but I did have great conversations with others who also weren’t feeling the music. I finished out the night talking and playing Pictionary with a few friends at one of the dinner tables and overall had a great night, regardless of the fact that I didn’t dance! We didn’t get back to George Mason until around 12am and after that everyone had to shower and pack, causing this to be one of the LONGEST days I’ve had in a while!

Here’s my friend Jordyn “practicing her dance moves” for the Delegate Gala. 😂

After our meetings we had a few hours on the Mall before we left, so I spent them with a friend in the Botanical Gardens and at the Air and Space Museum.

SS: You can get keep tabs on organizations like the MD Sierra Club or the Chesapeake Climate Action Comittee. Also you can get involved in both local and national elections, participate in marches, and even testify on various issues at the Maryland General Assembly if you wish.

Today is sadly the last full day of WYSE because tomorrow all we have is the closing ceremony and then we leave! Before then, however, we have our meetings on Capitol Hill, possible museum visits, and then our Delegate Gala at the end of the night.