Leadership is a highly valued attribute in the school system, the workplace, and in the community. Individuals who demonstrate excellent leadership skills are more successful in life, which means the leadership activities students have the opportunity to experience in high school can have a terrific influence on their life and career after high school.

I attended two leadership seminars this past summer, and I came away with some of the greatest experiences of my life. I met amazing people from around the state, listened to outstanding keynote speakers, and had the time of my life. Leadership camps may sound really boring, but that is a misconception; they are a blast.

I attended the 2012 Nebraska Hugh O’ Brian Youth Leadership Seminar (HOBY) from June 1 to the 3 on the Hastings College campus in Hastings, Nebraska. There were about 150 ambassadors from there schools across the state, and the students were divided into 13 different groups. To begin, each group was given the challenge of coming up with a name that incorporated Disney characters and adjectives starting with the same letter. My group was the “Astounding Ariel’s.”

We participated in a variety of team building activities that brought our group closer together. My favorite part of the seminar was listening to the motivational speakers, like the speaker who presented “Rachel’s Challenge.” The presentation of Rachel’s Challenge was one of the most influential things I have ever heard.  Rachel’s Challenge inspires the audience to live up to the dream of kindness set by Rachel Joy Scott, who was the first victim killed in the Columbine High School Massacre.

All of the participants also had to complete a community service project and the ambassadors were challenged to complete 100 hours of community service. HOBY was described by many participants as a “cheer camp on steroids,” as so much of the seminar was full of laughs, cheers, and fun.

The second seminar that I attended last summer was the 2012 Nebraska Leadership Seminar (NLS) on the Doane College Campus in Crete, Nebraska. There were over 150 attendees there from around Nebraska. NLS was fairly similar to HOBY in structure, but it was totally different in experience. Participants listened to a handful of speakers, participated in a variety of fun activities, and completed a community service project.

I personally enjoyed this community service project far more than the one at HOBY. We worked with Regent V, a group out of Crete, Nebraska. Regent V is an organization that assists people who have developmental disabilities.   NLS participants put on a variety of games and activities for the members of Regent V and also hosted a karaoke party for them.

I was honored to attend both the 2012 Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar and the 2012 Nebraska Leadership Seminar. I believe that by attending these seminars I have become a stronger leader. At HOBY, I learned about four types of leadership that I have tried to incorporate into my everyday life: personal leadership, group leadership, leading in society, and leadership for service.   At NLS the curriculum focused on recognizing leadership strengths and capitalizing them.

Brennan Costello, a junior crewmember at NLS, said that participating in leadership development activities, such as NLS, allows students “to engage the potential they hold in a variety of ways.” As a leader, he has seen incredible personal growth and believes these students are more likely to make a positive difference in their schools and in the lives of others around them. He says that the activities offer a valuable network with very talented and like-minded people. Brennan was recently elected a National FFA Officer, and he believes that NLS had a particular role in his success as a leader. He said, “NLS was really the first place in which I discovered myself and [the] strengths I brought to teams. I gained a lot of confidence in who I was and this fed my confidence to be a leader and fueled my desire to lead in bigger positions.” Brennan encourages all students to actively seek out opportunities to grow their leadership and engage their potential.

Leadership seminars like HOBY and NLS contribute to growth in the lives of the individual, the school, and in the community. Students who develop their leadership potential at a young age are going to be more successful and offer more to the world.

One sophomore from Alliance High School will be nominated by teachers to attend the HOBY camp and two sophomores will be selected by their teachers to attend NLS in mid-June and these students will be recognized during the Honors Convocation Night. Sophomores and juniors will have the opportunity to attend RYLA this summer by completing an application. Interested students can talk to the counselors Mr. Travis Hawk or Mrs. Amy Dunn to get more information about leadership opportunities.  Students can also look for seminars online and for opportunities through clubs they are involved in.