Upon my arrival at Boys State, I was surprised by the variety and quality of the boys in my cottage. My biased outlook was changed the minute I walked into the bunk room. Many different personalities, hairstyles, clothing styles, and cultures surrounded me. Everyone played a variety of sports and did many extracurricular activities. My cabin included band composers, track runners, wrestlers, swimmers, and soccer players just to name a few.

Within the first five minutes of this organized chaos, nobody matched my preconceived stereotypes. All of us were very much alike and different, all in our own ways. As I started talking to everyone, I noticed all of our grades were about the same, we shared similar leadership positions, and any of us could carry on an intellectual conversation with each other. After the first ten minutes of being in my cottage we all stood in a huge circle conversing and bonding. In those short ten minutes I realized that the boys of Monroe Cottage could bond together and make an important and memorable week.

–Kyle Davies, Monroe Cottage