High school can be the perfect time to have different life experiences and explore opportunities. Participating in different activities in high school can prepare a student for life after graduation.

Over spring break, junior Scout Perryman got to experience something he considers an amazing opportunity first-hand.

During the week off from school, Perryman attended Camp St. Croix in Hudson, WI.

“St. Croix is a YMCA camp, and it’s really nice,” Perryman said.

While down in Wisconsin, Perryman taught a session on National Leadership Seminar. The National Leadership Seminar is a weekend conference that focuses on the skills and attributes of leadership.

“It is used to further the leadership skills of the Order of the Arrow’s key youth and adults so that they can give greater service back to the Boy Scouts of America and their communities back home,” Perryman said.

In Perryman’s session called “Do It Yourself,” he talked about applying practical leadership skills and decision making to real-life situations.

“I taught the session to members of the Order of Arrow,” Perryman said. “Usually the members that attend hold leadership positions in their lodge or chapters.”

Speaking in front of a crowd can spark a nervous feeling.

“Honestly, I felt really nervous because all these guys paid a lot of money to be there and I didn’t want to let any of them down by not doing a good job on my presentation,” Perryman said.

Perryman is unclear as to why he was chosen to teach a session.

“I’m a Section Officer so I went to a Section Officer Seminar (SOS) in Ohio,” Perryman said. “The Region Chief was there, and I assume he saw something in me during SOS because he called me a month after and asked if I wanted to do it. I said yes, so I went to Train the Trainer (TTT) in Texas during mid-January so that I could learn how to teach my session and how to be a good trainer.”

Overall, Perryman enjoyed the experience and was grateful for the opportunity.

“My favorite part of my experience was bonding with the people in my crew and seeing them grow as leaders and as people,” Perryman said. “I’m so happy I was able to have this life experience and hope to have many more.”