User:ThirdAccount26

About Me

• former CTY student; current forevermore
• Empress 19.2
• years: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
• sites: Bristol, Saratoga
• current student at University of Washington
• this is my third account because I always forget my password RIP

Comments for Future Position Holders

With the announcement of in-person CTY for the summer of 2022, I have overheard many discussions as to how tradition will continue, who would continue it, and if it will continue at all. It has made me realize how unique my position really was. I was empress at a time when enthusiasm for tradition was just beginning to fade, and one of the last empresses for in-person CTY before COVID hit.

Ironically, I regret how zealous I was in my dedication to preserving tradition. In my desperate attempts to hold onto customs passed down from year to year, I forgot why we had these traditions in the first place. Tradition wasn't supposed to be this ancient code, these intricate inside jokes that make squirrels feel like they were supposed to convert to some kind of cult. The whole point of tradition is to make CTY a second home for everyone. To make it welcoming, fun, and exciting to come back every year. To create a sense of camaraderie amongst students.

There are a few traditions that should and likely will live on. I doubt that American Pie will stop being played, or that passionfruit will cease to exist. However, other traditions and obscure references (like Louis! (Saratoga thing) and Pigtail Day (Saratoga thing as well)) are likely to be lost to time. I understand the frustrations of some of my successors in trying to keep decades-old traditions survive. But, (and I can't believe I'm the one saying this) it's okay to let some traditions die out. They'll live on in the memories of those who created and participated in them. While we'll miss things like Louis! and Jon Good Loves You, there will be new inside jokes and silly traditions that new students will create and pass down.

What matters most is that future position holders continue to make the CTY community that welcomes all students, both squirrels, and returners. I have no doubt that the same CTY spirit we all grew up with will live on, even if it looks a little different from what we're used to.