This week all the RAs are filling out forms about if they are returning next year or not. If we are, we have to write a series of painful essays explaining why. I work so hard to simply live day by day, in order to prevent insanity, and then something like this forces me to look into the future. Of course, I love this job with all my heart and I am definitely going to apply to come back. It’s just difficult to come back to something after being a newbie and then taking on a leadership role. Many people are graduating from our staff, and there may only be two or three of us who return. Of course, my band director in high school always used to say, “every time the best leaders graduate, new people step up, and fill their shoes�, and the cycle continues. And that was definitely true in high school band…every time the people I looked up to left, someone else would take their place, until it was my turn to lead. Although it can be easy to rely on veterans, it’s kind of exciting to think of the great opportunity I have ahead of me to be a leader and role model.