"HOBY did not change my life, but I changed my life because of HOBY.” June 17, 2011 was the day my life was forever changed. HOBY, Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership, is a three day leadership seminar that teaches leadership through service. This wonderful conference at Central College in Pella, Iowa had an impact on me that will last a lifetime.

One day my sophomore year, Mrs. Florey came into my speech class and told us some information about some leadership conference. I did not understand what this was about, but my curiousness was aroused. All she talked about was the application process, but not what the seminar consisted of. I fumbled with the idea of whether to apply. A day before it was due, I spontaneously typed up a cheesy essay and returned it Mrs. Florey. A few days later, I overheard the news that I was the only person who applied. By default, I was chosen as St. Edmond’s 2012 HOBY Ambassador.

In the weeks following, I thought to myself, “What did I get myself into? Will I be able to spend three days away from home with complete strangers? Will it be fun?” I was as nervous as could be. Just the thought of the seminar stressed my mind with many unanswered questions. After all, I knew near to nothing about the seminar. I came to the conclusion that I could possibly get a sense of what college may be like, and it would be a good experience.

Eventually, the day for me to attend at the HOBY seminar had arrived. I sensed homesick before we even got to Central College. My stomach was uneasy and my head pounding from pure anxiety. I decided to man up and not turn back home. I arrived at what seemed a friendly college campus which helped my nerves in a small way. I hesitantly exited my car not sure of what was to come. I was immediately surrounded by noises of people chanting and yelling cheers. The bright, colorful uniforms of the Junior Facilitators were the things to catch my eye. My first thought was that this place was a circus. The enthusiastic welcome was then followed by a warm HOBY hug. Right then, I knew as that this weekend was going to be an outstanding experience. I was directed to quickly get my bags to my dorm room and go find a seat in the auditorium.

Next, I walked into the a large, spacious auditorium that made me feel small, but I only found more people chanting cheers. I found an open seat next to a girl I did not know. When we first looked at each other, but before introducing ourselves, we both had a joyful, but confused look on our faces. We didn’t know what we each got into, but we knew it was going to be awesome. From that moment on, I decided that this weekend was only going to be as great as I make it so I made the conscious effort to keep an open mind.

The first day of the seminar focused on personal leadership. Significant comments and mental notes that I took away from our incredible speakers were to find and intensely chase your passion, set goals, write them out, actively accomplish your goals, and live life with a positive attitude. I was inspired to take meaningful action in even the smallest things like greeting another person with a friendly hello. My “aha” moment gave me goosebumps. It was as though a frigid wind was blowing on me, but I had never felt more comfortable in my life. My moment was when I realized how easy and simple it was always have a positive attitude in life no matter the situation. I was very excited to see what the rest of the weekend had in store.

Day two zoned in on the topic of group leadership. Activities consisted of fun ways to inspire and synergize the people about you in simple but effective ways like inviting others that are not always included. Perhaps, the powerful presentation of the weekend was Jamie Utt’s “The Wall.” My group was given a poster board and was asked to write the first thing, the worst thing, anything, and everything that came to mind when they saw names such as African American, women, homosexuals, and many more. As I wrote some rather dirty words onto the clean sheet of white paper, I could not help but feel dirty myself. My nasty words seemed to ruin the bright paper into a disgusting picture. Through his presentation, we reflected on how our words make an impact and how hateful and mean we can be. In sight of all this, we also have wonderful potential to reverse the effect. We build up a wall between ourselves and others merely because they are different. It was an empowering experience to learn that I have the power to tear down the wall of hate. With that awesome conclusion of day two, I got to thinking how tomorrow was the last day and how sad I would be to go.

It was now that bittersweet day that we would be packing up to head back home and having to say goodbye to some dear friends I had met along the way. The final thing we learned was how to apply what we had learned into the real world. I got emotional as I realized I had been so blessed to have the opportunity to attend this seminar. Prior to leaving, I gave some dear friends a final HOBY hug. In that moment, I felt so loved. It was as though God put this person’s arms around me so gently, it gave me the sense that no matter what I go through in life, these new life long friends would be here for me.

With the sounds of cheers still ringing in my ears and a tear or two in my eye, I reluctantly got into the car with my father to head back to Fort Dodge. Unlike the beginning of the weekend, I was sad I was leaving HOBY. My mentality to have always have a positive attitude and inspire others each day has stuck with me. Needless to say, HOBY has been a memorable, life-changing experience.