This week has been full of something I’m going to be talking about nonstop the next several weeks: RYLA.

On Friday, I worked on the mandated reporter presentation I’ll be giving at training and then had the opportunity to attend a RYLA Board meeting. After getting to talk through the mandated reporting process, I also got to help represent the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee as we worked to pass a policy to aid former Junior Counselors (JC) seeking to become Senior Counselors (SC). It was amazing to see something we’d worked so hard to conceptualize come to fruition through a formal vote.

On Sunday, Kai and I went off to RYLA Meet & Greet and had the opportunity to spend some time with the JCs and SCs for this year’s RYLA. We had breakfast and lunch, talked through leadership styles, and had the opportunity to experiment with some new activities. It was such a fun day and I’m so excited to work with this new staff. I am also looking forward to helping with some additional duties including helping to sort the storage locker and creating some electronic surveys for RYLA students.

Besides RYLA, Saturday was a huge highlight for me. My family spent the day at Loveland’s Asian, Pacific Island and Desi Americans (APIDA) Celebration to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This event was hosted by an amazing nonprofit called Heart and Sol which raised awareness and creates safe spaces for people of color in Northern Colorado and especially Loveland. We ate delicious Filipino food and saw some incredible performers from dragon dancers to Japanese drummers to hula dancers. As a family with Hawaiian and Chinese heritage, it was such a joyful and entertaining event and we loved every moment.

Other highlights have included seeing Kai recognized at Senior Awards Night for his hard work in AP courses and finally receiving confirmation for our next host and packing to get going very soon.