User:Switch 1166057

Intro/Summary

Hello from CTYer 1166057.

At CTY I went by my nickname Switch. I'm currently living in England trying to “adult” successfully :/. If you knew me at CTY it was probably as the short-haired British kid in the green jacket who ran everywhere. I also have the "claims to fame" of having been JHU's Empress in 22.1 and Jack Flash in 23.1. Although I've only done 4 years of CTY onsite, I've done CTY every year (except for '19) from '14-'23. Does that make me a fulfilment or a nightmare? Who knows, but what does it matter. CTY has been my life for ten incredible years and I really wouldn't be where I am without it.

That said, I know the CTY I used to know was so much more esoteric, dynamic and plain awesome than current CTY is. I know that current CTY is becoming more of a place where rich kids can earn extra credit than a place where smart kids go to find people "like them," who'll listen to their grand ideas and nerdy ramblings. And as much as I've met some of the nicest, most capable people at CTY, I've also met people who've done horrible things that mean I can no longer recommend getting involved with CTY tradition or falling in love with the CTY community- not without a thousand warning labels and haunting grievances attached. But hey… it was the person I became at CTY who moved on to one or two or maybe more places that are TRULY! Incredible with great people who will blow your mind and take care of you long into the future and pay to fly you out to cool places, AAAAANNNNNNNDDD! Remember kids, you're not alone. It's not that hard to find your kinds of spaces if you know where to look. My inbox open to any cool CTYers who have no-one to hear them out.

Sincerely yours and forevermore,
– Switch 16:33, 11 October 2024 (EDT)

P.S: As of nov.'23, I'm RealCTY admin! Whoo me! That said, please don't hesitate to talk to me about all your wiki-based needs.

Course list

Here is a list of courses I have done in previous years/are currently doing/am confirmed to do. If you are a classmate/site-mate feel free to contact me.
2014.6 (CTY Online) YRS Wild Things –––––––(Course started 2014, ended 2015)
2015.1 (CTY Online) Elementary Problem Solving 2
2015.3 (CTY Online) YRS Robot Encounter
2015.2 (ALEXANDRIA) Mathematical Problem Solving A (MPSE-A)
2015.3 (CTY Online) Honors Grade 5 Mathematics–––––––(Course started 2015, ended 2016)
2016.3 (CTY Online) YRS Magical Life Lessons
2016.5 (CTY Online) The Process of Writing
2017.2 (SANDY SPRINGS) Inductive and Deductive Reasoning (INDE)
2018.3 (CTY Online) Honors Algebra 2
2020.3 (CTY Online) Honors Pre-Calculus
2020.3 (CTY Online) AP Calculus BC –––––––(Course started 2020, ended 2021)
2022.1 (JHU) Investigations in Engineering B (IENG-B)
2023.1 (JHU) Topology (TOPO)

• YRS=Young Reader's Series

On monarchy (and why you really can make this place your own)

This is adapted from my personal entry in the book of love and gives some details on monarchy and making your place in the CTY community…

“What can I say, this house is falling apart…” Hey, it’s Switch again.

My birth name is Sarah (S. J. B.) and I’m absolutely honored to serve as your Empress. If you knew me on campus it would probably be as the scrawny British kid with short, dark hair who ran everywhere and took steps two at a time (up AND down).

So, about being Empress… It’s no secret that I have a strong affinity for CTY. I wasn’t built for the world so I made one for myself among the people like me, although it took me a while to truly see all of this as something I was a part of. I've detailed the history of the book, but I'm yet to mention why I didn’t introduce myself as empress in my forward. This was because even after writing up the Book of Love, having been a CTYer for 7 years and being declared Empress by my (amazing!) predecessor, for some reason I just didn’t believe I had what it took to do the job justice and stand among the people I’d always looked up to. Out on this wiki and all kinds of cryer social platforms, we sure love talking about what cty did for us and why we love it, but I've found very few records of what it actually takes to be a monarch or even just a part of cty culture. Although I may be no expert, I'm by no means short of experience and I’m dedicating this part of my user page to tell you everything I’ve learned about being a position holder.

The No.1 rule of position holders is that we’re people, not paragons… and that’s the best part of us. We’re people with unique experiences & views who help tradition evolve & thrive. Although we may be figure-heads and act to set an example, we NEED our own flair & passion if we want to leave something behind in other people. And that passion is the ONLY thing we’re required to have. The “CTY spark” is so visceral & special because it cannot be taught, so what choice do we have but to use it! And don’t worry about being bad at being social (You can and WILL learn public-speaking on the job); if one has the passion and knowledge, communicative skills follow fast… so does being allergic to sleep, but no-one said this wouldn't take a LOT OF work. Finally, we must trust ourselves and voice our opinions. And on change, try not to fear it. New traditions form and spread and old traditions fall out of fashion when what they celebrate doesn't resonate with people anymore, but that's ok because it belongs to 'us' now… and in the wise words of Douglas Addams, "Don't Panic!" if things aren't perfect. I assure you that you will always have something worth remembering, so don't let the regret of what could been weigh that down. Not for you, not for anyone.

And my reign? I wish I’d learnt everything I said earlier and I still can’t understand how I got so much support from so many people… but that’s the magic of CTY. There is so much this community celebrates and if you put yourself out there, you really can be whoever you want. Even a Queen. I should have learnt to value myself sooner, but I don’t want to look back on my flaws. Not after the act of being Empress taught me so much. This place has truly rocked my world, blown my mind and broken my heart in a way that has really just taught me how to exist… and I can’t wait to go out into the world and be the wonderful person this place helped me grow into.

P.S: With all that said, if you ever need ANYTHING from me (CTY related or not) don't hesitate to hit me up. This camp is my life and whether you're reading this when I'm 17 or 70, so long as I'm kicking around I'll be glad to help out a fellow CTYer… especially if you're a position holder because it's no easy gig and you'll need all the free hugs you can get.

puff of logic

Contact

RealCTY: Comment on this page or use the "email user" function (it's in the "tools" section on the wiki side bar).
Email: 19102b@gmail.com
Instagram memory Archive:@switch_1166057

Comments? Lovetape? Other stuff?

You're JHU's best 2022 royalty! I mean I wasn't there but I'm so so impressed by what you did, so... here's a friendly comment :) - Anouk

remembered this website existed even though it's literally been like four and a half years since i went. wow time flies. anyways hi lol -alan :)