User:VikyFil

Viky Filippou Empress SAR 16.1

JHU 14.1 Individually Paced Math Sequence (RA Victoria, AMR 1)

SAR 15.1 Probability and Game Theory (RA Emily, Rounds 1)

SAR 15.2 Fast Paced High School Chemistry (RA MaryBeth, Rounds 2)

SAR 16.1 Fast Paced High School Biology (RA Megan, Rounds 2)

Since my passionfruit speech was entirely improvised, I had to listen to it and copy it down from the recording Quin sent, so here it is:

So, before I make my speech, I'd like all of you to close your eyes for a second. And, whoever you are, one more, two more, three more, think about how you feel in this moment, right now. Are you happy? Are you sad? Are you regretful? Are you a big jumble of everything at once? Take a second to think about how you feel, right here, right now. Now open your eyes.

I never thought I would be in this position. From my first year at Hopkins, to my second year here, double-sessioning, I never thought I would be in this position. It seemed so far away. It seemed so distant. I've seen probably, at this point, about a hundred speeches, and... I'm not really sure what to say. I'm feeling so many things right now, and it never really registered in my mind that I'd have to express it to all of you.

But I'm so glad I'm here. CTY means just about everything to me. CTY is where I figured out so much about who I am, and it's where I figured out how to make friends properly, where I figured out how to be social, where I figured out that it's okay to be confused. It's okay to question anything about yourself, because that's what CTY is for.

As a member of the royalty, when I came I was extremely anxious. It was my first year at Saratoga Session One last year, and I got picked as royalty, and I was like, "Sh*t, what do I do with this, because I'm a squirrel. I don't know any of the traditions" and I'm so blessed that I have three people, right here, who showed me everything, and who made me feel so comfortable, and I can only hope that this session was as amazing as I and Carly and Byron and Duncan could have made it.

I love CTY because this is the place where we inspire each other to be our best selves. I said this at the talent show, but here I feel I am my best self. I'm not stressed, I'm not frustrated, I'm not uptight like I am at home. I'm free. And that's why CTY is so great. And, keep in mind, it's not perfect, it's never perfect. This year, last year, the year before that, there were highs, tremendous highs, and lows. And even though there's highs and lows and in-betweens and you feel every single emotion while you're here, it's so special. And the fact that we only have three weeks every year at this place makes us appreciate the people around us and the experiences we have so much more.

I don't really want to talk about leaving because I'm kind of in denial, but, to the one-more's, especially: I've noticed, and I noticed last year, that the only people who might be more emotional than the nevermores are the one mores. My one more year, I was bawling my eyes out at literally everything within the time frame of the last three days of camp. And what I want to say to you, especially the one mores, is that it's going to be okay. We will leave. An amazing generation of nevermores will leave. An amazing group of people will leave this place. But an amazing group of people will come in. You will make new friends, you will be social, you will introduce yourself, you will participate in every ridiculous goddamn nevermore tradition, and it's going to be incredible. All of you, or most of you, have asked me at some point, "What are we going to do without you guys?". and my answer to you is, you'll be fine. You'll be great. Every session will be just as good, it's just different. And if there's anything that CTY has taught me, it's to embrace differences, and to embrace who you are and what makes you different and what makes you unique.

As a closer, it's okay to be worried. It's okay to be sad. It's okay to be happy. It's okay to be feeling everything, especially in this moment, right now. CTY is a beautiful thing. It's never the same. It's such a fluid, beautiful thing. And the end is unexpected, and my time here was short, but I cherished every single moment of it, and I like you, I love you, I CTY you.

I love CTY, and I love the passionfruit.

That's all for me. Please feel free to contact me with any questions about CTY, or being royalty, or traditions or any of that. viky.filippou@gmail.com. I love you all so much, and I will forevermore <3