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Fall 2018· Torch:U.S. · VOICES
the classics via essays, short stories, etc. I hope that my successor can continue to reach out in this manner.
It has been a full and exciting year, but my most important memories were with you: attending state conventions, reaching out to and talking to JCLers, getting input and feedback on what we could do better, and discovering time and again the great reservoirs of love and talent that lie in this community. Thank you so much for this opportunity to serve you, JCL.
Tim Han
2017-2018 NJCL 1st Vice President
An Incredible Experience
recognize individuals in my farewell speech and choose to leave those words to stand as they did in the moment. As for a final thought- let me urge you, as much as I am able, to put friendship above all human issues. Truly, amor omnia vincit, thank you to all for your shared friendship, and love, the last six years.
Collin Kane
2017-2018 NJCL 2nd Vice President
Stages of Love
is into), the irresistible Olympika and Ludi teams (dang, he/she’s really fit). You’ll get in fights, you’ll get jealous, but if it’s meant to be, you’ll always find your way back to each other. And, as Bebe Rexha says, “If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.”
Stage 1: Obsession
This is the “omg did you see the way he/she looked at me” phase. Mad love. Hashtag Soul Mates. Hash Tag Baby We Will Never Ever Ever Be Apart. Convention number one. I had found The One. For an entire week, I was a college kid. Free from the cruel oppression of my parents,
from the daily vegetable requirements, from the limit on how much Coke I could drink, and the tyrants dictating where I had to be and when. The JCL was my PERSON, my Elysian Fields, the wine to my Bacchus (but not actual alcohol of course).
Stage 2: Reality
Love blinded me, but now I could see. Doubts loomed. I was clearly delusional. I began questioning everything I had ever known. Why was I doing this? When would the “why do you study a dead language” or “what even is the JCL” or “Latin convention? You nerd.” Ever stop? Why should I have to defend my choices in who I hung out with? Was the JCL just not my type?
Stage 3: Disappointment
Princess Diana once said, "Well, there were three of us in this marriage, so it was a bit crowded." She understood me. I became the third wheel. Despite my all nighters and devotion to Classical literature, I would never be good enough. The JCL was seeing someone else. “I’m sorry, JCL, that I’m not a nationally acclaimed Certamen player or That’s Entertainment! all-star,” I pleaded, yet to no avail.
Stage 4: Stability
Second Nationals. The JCL wooed me back. The JCL wanted me for me. I was accepted for my quirkiness, level of extra, and nerdiness, not tossed aside for another girl or boy. I had let my insecurities get the best of me, but I was loved and valued for me, just the way I was. With the JCL, I experienced the legacy of ancient Greece and Rome and became a facet of something truly extraordinary.
Stage 5: Commitment
At times, I thought the JCL did me dirty. It most certainly did not. And other times, it seemed to me that there was nothing outside of the JCL for me. There always was. As with any relationship, I needed a balance. A good push and pull, willful compromise, and a lot of love. I am proud to say that once, I dated the JCL. Once, I fangirled over Ovid for 6 hours straight over Facebook Messenger. Once, I was proud to exude OIHO (not a typo) spirit. Once, I knew for certain I came from the best delegation, Ursuline Academy, in the best state, Ohio, with the best people I have ever known. I am lucky to have experienced this community. Once, I was the happiest girl alive. Once, I got together with some kids from Wisconsin, New Hampshire,
Florida, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Nevada and travelled to Miami, for some hard work and good times. I am sad to say that my time as a JCLer has come to an end, but fifty years from now, I’ll still be proud to proclaim that I was once among you a JCLer at NJCL convention. I’ll always cherish my experiences, my fellow delegates, my state chairs, my sponsors, and most of all, you. Thank you JCL, and for the last time, valete omnes.
Lynn Ahrens
2017-2018 NJCL Communications Coordinator
The 2018 NJCL convention took place at the intersect of the culmination of my term in office and the end of my JCL experience as a student. At convention, spirit awards were handed out, 10 full sized mats of recycled plastic bags were woven, and fifteen hundred dollars were raised to be donated to St. Jude’s. I took the opportunity to thank and
In many ways, you’ll find your relationship with the JCL as complex and volatile as a crush. For some, it’s love at first sight, but for others, it’s the involvement and personality that really attracts you, the mouthwatering academic tests and certamina offered (shows intelligence), the tasty dances (shows what he/she