Hey y'all! My name is Caris Gross and I am the North Carolina JCL Technology Coordinator. I'm the youngest of five kids in a half-Indian family, a fully obsessed theatre kid, and a tea enthusiast. I've been taking Latin since sixth grade and this year will be at the mercy of AP Latin.
TORCH POLL: INTERVIEW· Torch:U.S. · Fall 2018
19
CARIS GROSS'S
5TH CONVENTION
Anika: Was this convention different from any of your previous ones? If so, how?
Caris: It definitely was. Not only was I able to meet many people from around the country that I'd never met in person before, I found a group of people from my own state (many of them first-time nationals attendees) to have a blast with. At previous conventions, I had been so focused on competing in as many contests as I could to win as many awards as possible (which is not necessarily a bad thing) and to some extent that focus kept me from truly experiencing the full scope of JCLove. This year, I was able to relax a bit, just sitting and getting coffee with my friends. Of course, the most
CARIS GROSS
NORTH CAROLINA
Hey y'all! My name is Caris Gross and I am the North Carolina JCL Technology Coordinator. I'm the youngest of
exciting thing to happen this year was NC's very own Layla Fistos becoming the National Parliamentarian!
Anika: If you could teleport back to one moment in convention, when would it be?
Caris: For me, nothing could have beat the final Friday night state fellowship. The entire NC delegation was loopy, I and seven other delegates were hugging each other and holding hands and eating pizza and crying on the ground. Our throats were throbbing and we were sweaty and disgusting but there was such an incredible feeling of love and acceptance there. In that moment, I felt the closest I've ever felt to a group of people. It was beautiful.
Anika: How do you think your past 5 conventions have affected you?
Caris: First of all, they've forced me to undergo bronchitis (and pneumonia) four times in the middle of July! The JCL bug got me in
more ways than one, it seems. None of that matters, though, when I think about the countless memories and incredible bonds I've formed with people from my state and across the nation. I don't like to say 'friends' when I talk about people from nationals - we really do become a family, as cliche as it sounds. Nationals has definitely given me high expectations for relationships in all areas of life, but there's nowhere else you can walk down the street holding hands with someone you met less than 24 hours earlier.