This past summer, juniors Connor Olson and Isabelle Braun were given the opportunity to represent our school at the Kansas Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) seminar.

HOBY is national organization that hosts 70 different state leadership seminars exclusive to students who have just completed their sophomore year. Kansas HOBY hosts a four-day leadership conference annually on the campus of Kansas State University.

The conference focuses on honing leadership and communication skills. Ultimately, the goal of the seminar is to provide students with the skill set necessary to make a positive impact in their communities.

Among the activities Olson and Braun participated in at the seminar included team-building exercises and listening to speeches about leadership.

“We learned how to include everyone and met many new people,” Braun said.

Core values of the organization include volunteerism, excellence, organizational integrity, diversity, innovative thinking, community partnership, and lifelong learning leadership opportunities. Such values are detailed on the HOBY Kansas website.

Olson’s favorite part of the conference was making new acquaintances and forming lasting bonds with them.

“Even though I knew them for three or four days, I know that the friends I made at HOBY are friends for life,” Olson said.

Applying to attend the conference entails attending an informational meeting and writing a 100+ word summary detailing why the individual feels they should attend the seminar. Both Braun and Olson encourage underclassmen to apply to attend the conference.

“Underclassmen should apply,” Braun said. “It’s a great way to get more involved and make connections.”

18lgregory@usd489.com