Reflection of "HOBY: A Crash Course In Leadership"
Below is a short video, followed by blog post to reflect on my honors experience over this past summer at the HOBY World Leadership Congress. The poem recited in the video is one I created to portray a message of how those at HOBY have influenced me. The main purposes of my experience were to learn more about how the various leadership styles worked, to work with my group of TAs for a common goal, and to overall gain a better understanding of how I can best lead. The blog and video should help portray that to you. I wanted to briefly go into explanation and a short written reflection for you.
1. What?
The what is pretty straightforward. I wanted to study leadership as a volunteer at the World Leadership Congress. The biggest take away for me was being able to truly see how all the different styles of leaders affected one another and worked together. This also linked with my idea that the people you surround yourself with, are the people you are going to end up being like.
2. So what?
This one for me was simple. The things learned through this experience are lessons I can take away into my everyday life to make sure I am becoming the best person I can be. I am striving towards successfully implementing my leadership skills in the best way with any position or group I am working with.
3. Now what?
Now I have taken some of the concepts learned to start my own organization focused on accountability. Like I mentioned before, it is important to surround yourself with the right people because those are the people you are going to be like. I have thus started a small focus group called "Accountabuddies". I use this group to hold each other accountable to our goals and work towards maintaining relationships with our close HOBY friends. This "now what" for me is how I truly was and am able to implement my learning in order to continue my growth outside of this experience. Feel free to contact me if you want to know more about HOBY, Accountabuddies, or me in general!
Below is a short video, followed by blog post to reflect on my honors experience over this past summer at the HOBY World Leadership Congress. The poem recited in the video is one I created to portray a message of how those at HOBY have influenced me. The main purposes of my experience were to learn more about how the various leadership styles worked, to work with my group of TAs for a common goal, and to overall gain a better understanding of how I can best lead. The blog and video should help portray that to you. I wanted to briefly go into explanation and a short written reflection for you.
1. What?
The what is pretty straightforward. I wanted to study leadership as a volunteer at the World Leadership Congress. The biggest take away for me was being able to truly see how all the different styles of leaders affected one another and worked together. This also linked with my idea that the people you surround yourself with, are the people you are going to end up being like.
2. So what?
This one for me was simple. The things learned through this experience are lessons I can take away into my everyday life to make sure I am becoming the best person I can be. I am striving towards successfully implementing my leadership skills in the best way with any position or group I am working with.
3. Now what?
Now I have taken some of the concepts learned to start my own organization focused on accountability. Like I mentioned before, it is important to surround yourself with the right people because those are the people you are going to be like. I have thus started a small focus group called "Accountabuddies". I use this group to hold each other accountable to our goals and work towards maintaining relationships with our close HOBY friends. This "now what" for me is how I truly was and am able to implement my learning in order to continue my growth outside of this experience. Feel free to contact me if you want to know more about HOBY, Accountabuddies, or me in general!
July 18-Reminiscing on the Past as I Travel
Today is the day. The day #myHOBYstory continues. The day my WLC journey will continue. The day old relationships will grow and new ones will flourish. The day I have been looking forward to all year. All this being said, you can tell I am excited to be back to WLC. As I sit in the airport awaiting the last connecting flight to Chicago for my 4th WLC, I cannot help but reflect on my past experiences and reasons #myHOBYstory has been so special to me. By the way, the hashtag my HOBY story is the theme for WLC 2013 so I will be using it a lot on here. Anyways, back to my story. This whole summer leading up to WLC has been completely HOBY filled. I have easily had one of the best summers of my life and HOBY is a huge part of that.
Firstly, I had the opportunity to fly out to LA/So-Cal seminar thanks to a great HOBY friend of mine named Chris Berry. I was his assistant for the weekend while he fulfilled the role of Leadership Seminar Chair aka HOBY daddy. This was a very special experience for me getting to see how HOBY daddy made it all happen and really see what it takes to run a seminar. It didn’t hurt that I made a huge addition of friends to my HOBY family. Immediately after the seminar a few of us had a large sleepover recounting all the laughs, tears, and events of the weekend. The next day I went to UCLA for a night out with a HOBY friend named Lauren Hearne who I had met 3 years before at the WLC. We had an amazing time reminiscing and catching up. It seemed as if we had never been apart. This visit also prompted another amazing experience this summer, but we’ll get to that. After my UCLA visit, I headed right back home to Illinois for my local Illinois Central South seminar.
At ILCS I was able to take on a new role much different than any I have had in the past. I was the PMA (positive mental attitude) with a girl named Ellen Renk who has been with me on this HOBY journey since day one over 3 years ago. Ellen and I both attended ILCS and WLC as an ambassador in 2010. PMA basically meant that we MC’ed the whole weekend and lead in any morale boosting and cheering throughout the weekend. There are so many in depth stories I could share from these two weekend, but I’m trying to keep it short before you decide this isn’t a New York Times best selling novel and decide to read something else (you can ask me for stories if you want later on). After ILCS I was worn out and took a little break to recuperate.
In the mean time, Lauren and I were in contact about taking a summer trip together. In a spur of the moment decision, we chose to go to Seattle to visit my roommate from when I was an ambassador in 2010 at WLC. Tickets were purchased, accommodations were made, and we arrived in Seattle to visit one of my best friends in the entire world Matt Haggerty. I hadn’t seen Matt in almost three years when we got there and had spent very little time with Lauren before the week. It was still as if we had never been apart. We went around the city, visited Matt’s lake house, boated, ate great food, laughed a lot, kayaked, swam, walked, cried, attempted to make fires, and most importantly made lifelong memories and continued nurturing lifelong friendships. Matt and I now have a pact as accountability buddies on a few different ambitions of ours, and all three of us have vowed to make our visits a tradition. Now I am on my way to the 4th go around at WLC and I cannot help but travel with these people in my heart as I go forward. They are the people who have made me who I am today. I would be lost without them and cannot thank every single person who has influenced #myHOBYstory in the past. I look forward to these next couple weeks where more amazing relationships will take place and the Michael on day 11 will definitely be better than the Michael on day 1 of this next phase in the journey.
Today is the day. The day #myHOBYstory continues. The day my WLC journey will continue. The day old relationships will grow and new ones will flourish. The day I have been looking forward to all year. All this being said, you can tell I am excited to be back to WLC. As I sit in the airport awaiting the last connecting flight to Chicago for my 4th WLC, I cannot help but reflect on my past experiences and reasons #myHOBYstory has been so special to me. By the way, the hashtag my HOBY story is the theme for WLC 2013 so I will be using it a lot on here. Anyways, back to my story. This whole summer leading up to WLC has been completely HOBY filled. I have easily had one of the best summers of my life and HOBY is a huge part of that.
Firstly, I had the opportunity to fly out to LA/So-Cal seminar thanks to a great HOBY friend of mine named Chris Berry. I was his assistant for the weekend while he fulfilled the role of Leadership Seminar Chair aka HOBY daddy. This was a very special experience for me getting to see how HOBY daddy made it all happen and really see what it takes to run a seminar. It didn’t hurt that I made a huge addition of friends to my HOBY family. Immediately after the seminar a few of us had a large sleepover recounting all the laughs, tears, and events of the weekend. The next day I went to UCLA for a night out with a HOBY friend named Lauren Hearne who I had met 3 years before at the WLC. We had an amazing time reminiscing and catching up. It seemed as if we had never been apart. This visit also prompted another amazing experience this summer, but we’ll get to that. After my UCLA visit, I headed right back home to Illinois for my local Illinois Central South seminar.
At ILCS I was able to take on a new role much different than any I have had in the past. I was the PMA (positive mental attitude) with a girl named Ellen Renk who has been with me on this HOBY journey since day one over 3 years ago. Ellen and I both attended ILCS and WLC as an ambassador in 2010. PMA basically meant that we MC’ed the whole weekend and lead in any morale boosting and cheering throughout the weekend. There are so many in depth stories I could share from these two weekend, but I’m trying to keep it short before you decide this isn’t a New York Times best selling novel and decide to read something else (you can ask me for stories if you want later on). After ILCS I was worn out and took a little break to recuperate.
In the mean time, Lauren and I were in contact about taking a summer trip together. In a spur of the moment decision, we chose to go to Seattle to visit my roommate from when I was an ambassador in 2010 at WLC. Tickets were purchased, accommodations were made, and we arrived in Seattle to visit one of my best friends in the entire world Matt Haggerty. I hadn’t seen Matt in almost three years when we got there and had spent very little time with Lauren before the week. It was still as if we had never been apart. We went around the city, visited Matt’s lake house, boated, ate great food, laughed a lot, kayaked, swam, walked, cried, attempted to make fires, and most importantly made lifelong memories and continued nurturing lifelong friendships. Matt and I now have a pact as accountability buddies on a few different ambitions of ours, and all three of us have vowed to make our visits a tradition. Now I am on my way to the 4th go around at WLC and I cannot help but travel with these people in my heart as I go forward. They are the people who have made me who I am today. I would be lost without them and cannot thank every single person who has influenced #myHOBYstory in the past. I look forward to these next couple weeks where more amazing relationships will take place and the Michael on day 11 will definitely be better than the Michael on day 1 of this next phase in the journey.
July 19-Staff Training Day
Today we participated in staff training. Russ (HOBY daddy) tried to randomize the small break up groups to allow for more interactions with more people but we slowly found out that didn't work and had I had 2 people in my group the whole time. Tyler Rigdon and Arthur Wood were in my wolf pack so to speak for the entire training. Things like that make us bonded for life (not really but these little things make the week special and help build the start of relationships that can truly last a lifetime). After staff training Team Alumni, the team I am part of all week, truly met for the first time. We went over some logistics and got to know one another a little bit more. Just after that meeting we dove right into more background work such as sorting t-shirts, and putting together ambassador bags. However, one of the real blessings and fun events of staff training day is the evening staff event.
Every year, there is some sort of fun staff dinner and activity to give the staff time to mingle, meet each other a little more, and enjoy a nice relaxer before ambassador arrival day. This years we all ate Chipotle down on the shore of Lake Michigan. We then got on trolleys to take a fun tour of Chicago and it's many sites. We stopped at Buckingham Fountain to take a few staff pictures and ended up very wet because the fountain kept spraying every direction creating another fun inside joke for the staff. The ride on the trolley was filled with laughs especially because I sat next to one of my closest HOBY friends, Garrett Minnie. A lot of my honors experience is about my relationships and the relationship theory of leadership. Garrett and I have a very special relationship because we both have a great love for HOBY, always can share a laugh, understand each other, and inspire each other every day with the way we approach life. Garrett is one of many amazing people I will get to share this week with, but the most important of any of them are my fellow Team Alumni.
After the staff activity, TA met for our nightly debrief and played a few ice breaker games. The game of choice was called "hot seat" which basically gives a person 1 minute and everyone can ask them any questions they want to and you have to answer. This fun ice breaker really seems to me to be the initial building block of the relationships I will build with each and every member of TA this year. The go to question was "What would you do for your first date if you could take Michael (me) out?"
Today we participated in staff training. Russ (HOBY daddy) tried to randomize the small break up groups to allow for more interactions with more people but we slowly found out that didn't work and had I had 2 people in my group the whole time. Tyler Rigdon and Arthur Wood were in my wolf pack so to speak for the entire training. Things like that make us bonded for life (not really but these little things make the week special and help build the start of relationships that can truly last a lifetime). After staff training Team Alumni, the team I am part of all week, truly met for the first time. We went over some logistics and got to know one another a little bit more. Just after that meeting we dove right into more background work such as sorting t-shirts, and putting together ambassador bags. However, one of the real blessings and fun events of staff training day is the evening staff event.
Every year, there is some sort of fun staff dinner and activity to give the staff time to mingle, meet each other a little more, and enjoy a nice relaxer before ambassador arrival day. This years we all ate Chipotle down on the shore of Lake Michigan. We then got on trolleys to take a fun tour of Chicago and it's many sites. We stopped at Buckingham Fountain to take a few staff pictures and ended up very wet because the fountain kept spraying every direction creating another fun inside joke for the staff. The ride on the trolley was filled with laughs especially because I sat next to one of my closest HOBY friends, Garrett Minnie. A lot of my honors experience is about my relationships and the relationship theory of leadership. Garrett and I have a very special relationship because we both have a great love for HOBY, always can share a laugh, understand each other, and inspire each other every day with the way we approach life. Garrett is one of many amazing people I will get to share this week with, but the most important of any of them are my fellow Team Alumni.
After the staff activity, TA met for our nightly debrief and played a few ice breaker games. The game of choice was called "hot seat" which basically gives a person 1 minute and everyone can ask them any questions they want to and you have to answer. This fun ice breaker really seems to me to be the initial building block of the relationships I will build with each and every member of TA this year. The go to question was "What would you do for your first date if you could take Michael (me) out?"
July 20-Ambassador Arrival Day
Today is ambassador arrival day. One of the most fun, stressful, tiring, crazy days of the week. Surprisingly for me and most of the staff it was relatively smooth. I was stationed at Midway Airport with TA Katherine Cole, TA Lakshman Somasundaram, and section leader Emily Lewis Olafsen. We departed for Midway at 6 am and didn't head back to Loyola until about 4 pm. We had 85 ambassadors come through and all of their arrivals were smooth. One of the few interactions TAs get to have with ambassadors lies in the time we spend with them waiting for shuttles on day one. I got to meet a ton of amazing, exciting, and eager ambassadors who I know will leave a positive impact on the world. Another blessing of the day was getting to know my fellow staff members a little more. I especially enjoyed talking with Emily who I had not really gotten to know in the past. We exchanged some HOBY stories, college and life details, and our passion for HOBY, especially the WLC. After we got back, there were a few big events that needed to take place to kick off the week.
Firstly, international ambassadors and US ambassadors were split for separate orientations into HOBY WLC and given some things to think about as they started the week. Then, everyone was brought together, including all staff, for the opening ceremonies. I got to rock the USA flag in the flag ceremonies at the beginning and also rocked my American flag fanny pack for extra emphasis (see photo below). Russ, Javier, and Cheryl (the big guns of the seminar) all talked for a bit to the ambassadors to welcome them into their #myHOBYstory. The night then finished up with ambassadors first group times while TAs had a couple meetings, did a few nightly tasks, and headed off to bed at the reasonable time of 1:00 am (seriously that is pretty good for HOBY).
Today is ambassador arrival day. One of the most fun, stressful, tiring, crazy days of the week. Surprisingly for me and most of the staff it was relatively smooth. I was stationed at Midway Airport with TA Katherine Cole, TA Lakshman Somasundaram, and section leader Emily Lewis Olafsen. We departed for Midway at 6 am and didn't head back to Loyola until about 4 pm. We had 85 ambassadors come through and all of their arrivals were smooth. One of the few interactions TAs get to have with ambassadors lies in the time we spend with them waiting for shuttles on day one. I got to meet a ton of amazing, exciting, and eager ambassadors who I know will leave a positive impact on the world. Another blessing of the day was getting to know my fellow staff members a little more. I especially enjoyed talking with Emily who I had not really gotten to know in the past. We exchanged some HOBY stories, college and life details, and our passion for HOBY, especially the WLC. After we got back, there were a few big events that needed to take place to kick off the week.
Firstly, international ambassadors and US ambassadors were split for separate orientations into HOBY WLC and given some things to think about as they started the week. Then, everyone was brought together, including all staff, for the opening ceremonies. I got to rock the USA flag in the flag ceremonies at the beginning and also rocked my American flag fanny pack for extra emphasis (see photo below). Russ, Javier, and Cheryl (the big guns of the seminar) all talked for a bit to the ambassadors to welcome them into their #myHOBYstory. The night then finished up with ambassadors first group times while TAs had a couple meetings, did a few nightly tasks, and headed off to bed at the reasonable time of 1:00 am (seriously that is pretty good for HOBY).
July 21-Rachel's Challenge Day
Today was one of my favorite speakers of the whole week. Dave Gamache of Rachel's Challenge came to present for the 3rd year straight. Rachel's Challenge is a very awesome presentation and challenge that Rachel Joy Scott inspired by the way she lived before her young death in the Columbine shootings. Before all of this, however, I got to run my first HOBY store shift with the lovely Megan Smith and Celeste Harrison. We sold a ton of buttons for ambassadors to show off some HOBY swag throughout the week. Back to Rachel's Challenge. Basically the presentation tells the tale of the Columbine shooting and the life Rachel lead before. She oddly predicted that she would die young and change the world. Both came true. Since her death her story of kindness and how she interacted with those around her has touched millions of lives all around the world through Rachel's Challenge. Having this opportunity at HOBY is really amazing because not only does it touch you, but you get to see the ambassadors embrace the story and take the challenge of treating others the right way thus starting a chain reaction of kindness. It was amazing to see the ambassadors open up and share stories that some had never shared in their life. It was also awesome to see how the TA team seemed to click a little better after he presented. Later on in the night I had the privilege of escorting Dave around to different group rooms. It was amazing to see ambassadors open up to their groups and share how they are going to take it back to their schools and communities.
Today was one of my favorite speakers of the whole week. Dave Gamache of Rachel's Challenge came to present for the 3rd year straight. Rachel's Challenge is a very awesome presentation and challenge that Rachel Joy Scott inspired by the way she lived before her young death in the Columbine shootings. Before all of this, however, I got to run my first HOBY store shift with the lovely Megan Smith and Celeste Harrison. We sold a ton of buttons for ambassadors to show off some HOBY swag throughout the week. Back to Rachel's Challenge. Basically the presentation tells the tale of the Columbine shooting and the life Rachel lead before. She oddly predicted that she would die young and change the world. Both came true. Since her death her story of kindness and how she interacted with those around her has touched millions of lives all around the world through Rachel's Challenge. Having this opportunity at HOBY is really amazing because not only does it touch you, but you get to see the ambassadors embrace the story and take the challenge of treating others the right way thus starting a chain reaction of kindness. It was amazing to see the ambassadors open up and share stories that some had never shared in their life. It was also awesome to see how the TA team seemed to click a little better after he presented. Later on in the night I had the privilege of escorting Dave around to different group rooms. It was amazing to see ambassadors open up to their groups and share how they are going to take it back to their schools and communities.
July 22-Museum of Science and Industry/Staff Bonding
Today we visited one of the many famous museums Chicago has to offer at the MSI. It was a complicated process getting all of the ambassadors aboard buses, moved to the museum, and unloaded, but the TAs met the challenge readily and got the job done. After that was over, we got to explore the museum and take in all it's sights, sounds, exhibits, and ice cream. As we ate ice cream with Garrett Minnie, pictured above on July 19th's post, we bonded by playing some mind games that really gave us all a good laugh, made us think a bit, and sometimes made us feel a little dumb for not getting the trick right away.
Later, after ambassadors had returned, I ran my first choir duty with a Katie Williams, Katherine Cole, and Drew Rickelmann. It was awesome to hear how well the choir sounded, and it was only their second practice!
After all the ambassadors were in bed, we had a mid week staff mingle to help relieve some stress and have a little fun. It was great hanging out with everyone and putting aside our work for an hour or two to just take a minute to enjoy this atmosphere. These people are truly amazing and impress me every day with the way they carry out their responsibilities and duties with a smile. I am thankful every day for the people I get to be surrounded by at HOBY.
Today we visited one of the many famous museums Chicago has to offer at the MSI. It was a complicated process getting all of the ambassadors aboard buses, moved to the museum, and unloaded, but the TAs met the challenge readily and got the job done. After that was over, we got to explore the museum and take in all it's sights, sounds, exhibits, and ice cream. As we ate ice cream with Garrett Minnie, pictured above on July 19th's post, we bonded by playing some mind games that really gave us all a good laugh, made us think a bit, and sometimes made us feel a little dumb for not getting the trick right away.
Later, after ambassadors had returned, I ran my first choir duty with a Katie Williams, Katherine Cole, and Drew Rickelmann. It was awesome to hear how well the choir sounded, and it was only their second practice!
After all the ambassadors were in bed, we had a mid week staff mingle to help relieve some stress and have a little fun. It was great hanging out with everyone and putting aside our work for an hour or two to just take a minute to enjoy this atmosphere. These people are truly amazing and impress me every day with the way they carry out their responsibilities and duties with a smile. I am thankful every day for the people I get to be surrounded by at HOBY.
July 23-HOBY Hugs Skit, Design for Change, Prep for L4S, Amazing Race, and Night in Chicago
This morning started with a skit we had to perform for the ambassadors to explain what HOBY hugs were and why we sell them. Drew Rickelmann and Katie Williams played Drew and Sue who feel in love over a HOBY hug. We then explained that we sell these small one dollar HOBY postcards, so to speak, to raise money for a student to go to WLC next year who couldn't otherwise afford it.
Later in the day the TA team came together to prepare and run an activity called Design for Change. It was a challenge because we didn't really know what was going on and had to do a couple hours of work that was not on our schedule. We dealt well with it, however, and the activity went very well with all TAs doing a great job. We then did a few other jobs very well such as set up some of the L4S projects and sort El Passes for the following days activities.
This morning started with a skit we had to perform for the ambassadors to explain what HOBY hugs were and why we sell them. Drew Rickelmann and Katie Williams played Drew and Sue who feel in love over a HOBY hug. We then explained that we sell these small one dollar HOBY postcards, so to speak, to raise money for a student to go to WLC next year who couldn't otherwise afford it.
Later in the day the TA team came together to prepare and run an activity called Design for Change. It was a challenge because we didn't really know what was going on and had to do a couple hours of work that was not on our schedule. We dealt well with it, however, and the activity went very well with all TAs doing a great job. We then did a few other jobs very well such as set up some of the L4S projects and sort El Passes for the following days activities.
July 24-L4S Day, Amazing Race, Night on the Town
Today started by boarding the El with a small group of 20 ambassadors. We headed to Jordan Community School to help out with their K-8 summer program. Right away, when the ambassadors met the kids, they jumped right in and started interacting very well with the kids. I overheard one of the ambassadors, Demetri, telling his small group what HOBY way and he said, “The program taught us to be able to go back into our communities and make a difference. It also has taught all of us a lot about compassion and caring for those around us.” Although it is very true, I had never really heard HOBY described in that capacity before. Demetri just reaffirmed me about the importance of the HOBY program. We are not only helping leaders find their niche and empowering them, we are helping everyone involved become more compassionate human beings. Compassion goes a long way in this world and Demetri just helped remind me of one of the many reasons I so love this program. I get to be surrounded daily with some of the most caring and positive people this world has to offer, and I cannot be thankful enough for that blessing. These ambassadors and fellow staff members truly bring out the best in me each and every day and challenge me to continue the ripple effect by bringing out the best in other people I come into contact with each and every day. I always have said that if I can make one persons day better or bring one more smile to someone’s face, then that day has been a success. Working today with these kids and ambassadors at Jordan has been one of the highlights of my week, reminding me why I love coming back to HOBY each and every year.
After the Ambassadors got back and had some lunch, they headed out for an Amazing Race (meander, walk, stroll, sight seeing trip) throughout the city. I was part of a group that stayed behind and prepared for a few different supply and water drops for the ambassadors. It was a lot of fun hanging out with Katie Williams, Megan Smith, Austin Hunt, and Celeste Harrison. We dropped waters at the bean and then took some time to take a few pictures. After the bean we headed to the hills by Shedd Aquarium to set up Giordano's pizza, ice cream, and water.
After eating, everyone headed off for section night. The TAs, Mitch Dickey, Russ Tanguay (HOBY daddy), Grace Wenzel (SASA), and Sedley Tomlinson (Ops Vice Chair) headed to have our own section night where we shared cupcakes and played cross the line. The details are meant to remain between us, but cross the line taught a lot of us about each other and really helped us understand where everyone comes from on a personal level.
After that, we watched fireworks in the park, snaked the ambassadors back to campus, and headed off to bed for the night.
Today started by boarding the El with a small group of 20 ambassadors. We headed to Jordan Community School to help out with their K-8 summer program. Right away, when the ambassadors met the kids, they jumped right in and started interacting very well with the kids. I overheard one of the ambassadors, Demetri, telling his small group what HOBY way and he said, “The program taught us to be able to go back into our communities and make a difference. It also has taught all of us a lot about compassion and caring for those around us.” Although it is very true, I had never really heard HOBY described in that capacity before. Demetri just reaffirmed me about the importance of the HOBY program. We are not only helping leaders find their niche and empowering them, we are helping everyone involved become more compassionate human beings. Compassion goes a long way in this world and Demetri just helped remind me of one of the many reasons I so love this program. I get to be surrounded daily with some of the most caring and positive people this world has to offer, and I cannot be thankful enough for that blessing. These ambassadors and fellow staff members truly bring out the best in me each and every day and challenge me to continue the ripple effect by bringing out the best in other people I come into contact with each and every day. I always have said that if I can make one persons day better or bring one more smile to someone’s face, then that day has been a success. Working today with these kids and ambassadors at Jordan has been one of the highlights of my week, reminding me why I love coming back to HOBY each and every year.
After the Ambassadors got back and had some lunch, they headed out for an Amazing Race (meander, walk, stroll, sight seeing trip) throughout the city. I was part of a group that stayed behind and prepared for a few different supply and water drops for the ambassadors. It was a lot of fun hanging out with Katie Williams, Megan Smith, Austin Hunt, and Celeste Harrison. We dropped waters at the bean and then took some time to take a few pictures. After the bean we headed to the hills by Shedd Aquarium to set up Giordano's pizza, ice cream, and water.
After eating, everyone headed off for section night. The TAs, Mitch Dickey, Russ Tanguay (HOBY daddy), Grace Wenzel (SASA), and Sedley Tomlinson (Ops Vice Chair) headed to have our own section night where we shared cupcakes and played cross the line. The details are meant to remain between us, but cross the line taught a lot of us about each other and really helped us understand where everyone comes from on a personal level.
After that, we watched fireworks in the park, snaked the ambassadors back to campus, and headed off to bed for the night.
July 25-Five Guys, Kool-Aid Game, Talent Show, #theHOBYstory
Today was a very fun filled day for the TAs. We started out by setting up the Kool-Aid Game, which is a team dynamics, group leadership, and values game where groups try to trade for supplies to make kool-aid. After that, we went to Five Guys for lunch and a little TA time away from campus. However, the real fun started when the talent show rolled around tonight.
The talent show had over 20 acts that performed. I was in charge of moving things on and off the stage and making sure the show went smoothly. All of the acts were very talented from singers to dancers to pianists to jump rope experts to much much more. I got many thanks from people who thought it went well, giving me more than a few smiles. After talent show, we transitioned to one of the most meaningful events of the week.
#theHOBYstory was basically some of the staff, headed by Russ, telling how Hugh came to create HOBY. It connected Schweitzer with Hugh and touched on how the great humanitarian challenged Hugh with the question, "Now what are you going to do with this?". We then challenged the ambassadors with the same question. One ambassador from each group was then given a chance to describe their group's HOBY story with 10 words. All the ambassadors words were truly amazing, but one ambassadors phrases really struck me. He said, "We change the world simply by loving it." Isn't that the truth! It is once again amazing to see how a small smile, simple hello, or a little kindness can create a ripple that stretches further than anyone can ever see. I cannot wait to go back into the real world to continue my HOBY story and change the world simply by loving it.
Today was a very fun filled day for the TAs. We started out by setting up the Kool-Aid Game, which is a team dynamics, group leadership, and values game where groups try to trade for supplies to make kool-aid. After that, we went to Five Guys for lunch and a little TA time away from campus. However, the real fun started when the talent show rolled around tonight.
The talent show had over 20 acts that performed. I was in charge of moving things on and off the stage and making sure the show went smoothly. All of the acts were very talented from singers to dancers to pianists to jump rope experts to much much more. I got many thanks from people who thought it went well, giving me more than a few smiles. After talent show, we transitioned to one of the most meaningful events of the week.
#theHOBYstory was basically some of the staff, headed by Russ, telling how Hugh came to create HOBY. It connected Schweitzer with Hugh and touched on how the great humanitarian challenged Hugh with the question, "Now what are you going to do with this?". We then challenged the ambassadors with the same question. One ambassador from each group was then given a chance to describe their group's HOBY story with 10 words. All the ambassadors words were truly amazing, but one ambassadors phrases really struck me. He said, "We change the world simply by loving it." Isn't that the truth! It is once again amazing to see how a small smile, simple hello, or a little kindness can create a ripple that stretches further than anyone can ever see. I cannot wait to go back into the real world to continue my HOBY story and change the world simply by loving it.
July 26/27- Gala Day, Departure Day, and the End of the Beginning
Today and into the early hours tomorrow will mark the end of another chapter in #myHOBYstory. Today I started the day with my last HOBY store of #WLC13. I did my last snake. I set up my last event, I said goodbye to the last ambassadors. While there are so many last, this is just the beginning of so many firsts. This week may have been the first time ambassadors have shared their deepest fears, dreams, and secrets. The first time someone has truly felt home. The first time someone has been told they are not the leaders of tomorrow, but of today.
Today, after loading vans, setting up the ballroom, and getting dressed, the closing gala commenced. The end of the beginning. Russ gave a very touching speech. Two ILCS ambassadors represented the USA by carrying the flag and giving the USA closing speech. Ryan and Gavin are just 2 of the millions of reasons I love this organization. I get the opportunity to watch young people grow and become the amazing leaders of today. What could be better, seriously what could be better than that? A lot of the events of today will be recapped by the pictures below. The reason being that the events are nothing without many of the people pictured, and even more not pictured.
After returning to campus, we sorted and returned the last HOBY hugs. This time it was special to me because two of my biggest HOBY role models, Cy Serrano and Patrick Halloran, came in while we were sorting and both personally thanked us for everything we did this week as TAs. Their words touched me and gave me even more reassurance of why I love the position, organization, and people I am surrounded by. A lot of this HOBY connection can be summed up by a quote by fellow volunteer Lonnie Grainier that reads, "I loved each and everyone of you before I even met you. If you go into every single thing in life with love, everything will become much easier. In life you get highs and lows. You have to get both to truly appreciate love." That is HOBY. That is what is special. Walking down the street I could run into a random alum while wearing a HOBY t-shirt and have an instant connection because of HOBY. It's people who notice something in you that you may not have noticed yourself. It's people like Patrick Halloran (who chose me to go to WLC) who notice that you needed that support group to fill a gap in your heart. It's people like Laura Limarzi who literally puts every ounce of love into everything she does and cares for every single person who crosses her path like they are her family. It's people like Grace Wenzel who can bring a smile to my face no matter what mood I'm in. It's people like Russ Tanguay who has put in 2 full years of work to ensure that these 432 ambassadors had the best WLC imaginable. I can go on and on about all of my HOBY family (there will be a blog post later about them), but for now I want to close the last day of WLC with a phrase I shared yesterday...
We change the world simply by loving it.
Today and into the early hours tomorrow will mark the end of another chapter in #myHOBYstory. Today I started the day with my last HOBY store of #WLC13. I did my last snake. I set up my last event, I said goodbye to the last ambassadors. While there are so many last, this is just the beginning of so many firsts. This week may have been the first time ambassadors have shared their deepest fears, dreams, and secrets. The first time someone has truly felt home. The first time someone has been told they are not the leaders of tomorrow, but of today.
Today, after loading vans, setting up the ballroom, and getting dressed, the closing gala commenced. The end of the beginning. Russ gave a very touching speech. Two ILCS ambassadors represented the USA by carrying the flag and giving the USA closing speech. Ryan and Gavin are just 2 of the millions of reasons I love this organization. I get the opportunity to watch young people grow and become the amazing leaders of today. What could be better, seriously what could be better than that? A lot of the events of today will be recapped by the pictures below. The reason being that the events are nothing without many of the people pictured, and even more not pictured.
After returning to campus, we sorted and returned the last HOBY hugs. This time it was special to me because two of my biggest HOBY role models, Cy Serrano and Patrick Halloran, came in while we were sorting and both personally thanked us for everything we did this week as TAs. Their words touched me and gave me even more reassurance of why I love the position, organization, and people I am surrounded by. A lot of this HOBY connection can be summed up by a quote by fellow volunteer Lonnie Grainier that reads, "I loved each and everyone of you before I even met you. If you go into every single thing in life with love, everything will become much easier. In life you get highs and lows. You have to get both to truly appreciate love." That is HOBY. That is what is special. Walking down the street I could run into a random alum while wearing a HOBY t-shirt and have an instant connection because of HOBY. It's people who notice something in you that you may not have noticed yourself. It's people like Patrick Halloran (who chose me to go to WLC) who notice that you needed that support group to fill a gap in your heart. It's people like Laura Limarzi who literally puts every ounce of love into everything she does and cares for every single person who crosses her path like they are her family. It's people like Grace Wenzel who can bring a smile to my face no matter what mood I'm in. It's people like Russ Tanguay who has put in 2 full years of work to ensure that these 432 ambassadors had the best WLC imaginable. I can go on and on about all of my HOBY family (there will be a blog post later about them), but for now I want to close the last day of WLC with a phrase I shared yesterday...
We change the world simply by loving it.
July 27 (evening)-Staff Appreciation
Tonight we had our staff appreciation dinner. Let's just sum it up with a quote from HOBY daddy Russ, "I told you all when I needed to go to that place, I didn't need to close my eyes because I'm already here. It sucks that tomorrow I will have to close my eyes." Staff appreciation was filled with excellent food, gifts, and stories. However, the most important thing was the people it was filled with. I cannot be grateful enough for the people I had the honor of being with this week. Here's to all 95 staff members and 432 ambassadors for helping me write another chapter of #myHOBYstory.
Tonight we had our staff appreciation dinner. Let's just sum it up with a quote from HOBY daddy Russ, "I told you all when I needed to go to that place, I didn't need to close my eyes because I'm already here. It sucks that tomorrow I will have to close my eyes." Staff appreciation was filled with excellent food, gifts, and stories. However, the most important thing was the people it was filled with. I cannot be grateful enough for the people I had the honor of being with this week. Here's to all 95 staff members and 432 ambassadors for helping me write another chapter of #myHOBYstory.
July 28-It's Not Goodbye, It's See You Soon
Today was the final day. Staff departure day. The last sentence of another chapter of #myHOBYstory. Early in the morning hours, some of the staff played hot seat for a few hours. We all got to ask each other questions to get to know each other even more, have some fun, and see what stood out about the week and HOBY in general to each person. Once 5:30 A.M. hit, we headed down to the beach to catch the sunrise. Although the clouds covered the whole thing, in my opinion, we still did exactly what we accomplished by going down there. We spent one last time with each other. No cares in the world. Tears in our eyes. Love in our hearts. Passion for the week we had all just experienced. Somewhere in that moment, I knew every single person there felt at home. I knew every single person considered HOBY as a home. That's because it is. We are one big family with dreams, goals, fears, and much much more. After about a half hour of no sun showing, we headed back to the dorms for some sleep and some sad "see you soon"'s.
Staff departure day is always the saddest day of the whole HOBY season. To slowly watch your HOBY family say their goodbyes throughout the morning is so sad. These are people who you want to spend every day with because of the way they live and how happy they make you feel. It sucks watching your best friends walk through the door knowing that you may not see them for another year. It sucks looking in their eyes and not knowing what to say to them because there are truly no words to thank them enough for how they have touched your life. It sucks waving goodbye as their cars and taxis take them away from you to a distant place. The only comfort is knowing that you can always close your eyes and search deep within yourself for that place. The place where you keep your HOBY family. The place you go when you need to feel that HOBY spirit and love.
As I sat and talked with my 2010 HOBY mama Kara Belew and #WLC13 HOBY daddy Russ, I didn't need to close my eyes to go to that place. It was amazing how the most amazing people in this organization can be so humble and have such a servants heart. Who am I to be here at WLC above 200 other applicants whose resumes probably far outshined mine? Who am I to have received this blessing? As I talked with TA Zach Lowry this morning, we talked about these very things. We are beyond lucky and blessed to have gotten to share this week together, change 432 ambassadors lives, and have the most amazing time doing it. After talking with Russ and Kara for a while though, it was time to go. It sucks that I have to close my eyes now to go to that place, however, it isn't hard to go there because the people there hold such a special place in my heart. As I hugged Kara and Russ goodbye (see you soon), I couldn't help but shed a tear as I turned to go. These people pour their heart and soul into everything HOBY. They do it for one simple reason. They know they can change the world simply by loving it.
Today was the final day. Staff departure day. The last sentence of another chapter of #myHOBYstory. Early in the morning hours, some of the staff played hot seat for a few hours. We all got to ask each other questions to get to know each other even more, have some fun, and see what stood out about the week and HOBY in general to each person. Once 5:30 A.M. hit, we headed down to the beach to catch the sunrise. Although the clouds covered the whole thing, in my opinion, we still did exactly what we accomplished by going down there. We spent one last time with each other. No cares in the world. Tears in our eyes. Love in our hearts. Passion for the week we had all just experienced. Somewhere in that moment, I knew every single person there felt at home. I knew every single person considered HOBY as a home. That's because it is. We are one big family with dreams, goals, fears, and much much more. After about a half hour of no sun showing, we headed back to the dorms for some sleep and some sad "see you soon"'s.
Staff departure day is always the saddest day of the whole HOBY season. To slowly watch your HOBY family say their goodbyes throughout the morning is so sad. These are people who you want to spend every day with because of the way they live and how happy they make you feel. It sucks watching your best friends walk through the door knowing that you may not see them for another year. It sucks looking in their eyes and not knowing what to say to them because there are truly no words to thank them enough for how they have touched your life. It sucks waving goodbye as their cars and taxis take them away from you to a distant place. The only comfort is knowing that you can always close your eyes and search deep within yourself for that place. The place where you keep your HOBY family. The place you go when you need to feel that HOBY spirit and love.
As I sat and talked with my 2010 HOBY mama Kara Belew and #WLC13 HOBY daddy Russ, I didn't need to close my eyes to go to that place. It was amazing how the most amazing people in this organization can be so humble and have such a servants heart. Who am I to be here at WLC above 200 other applicants whose resumes probably far outshined mine? Who am I to have received this blessing? As I talked with TA Zach Lowry this morning, we talked about these very things. We are beyond lucky and blessed to have gotten to share this week together, change 432 ambassadors lives, and have the most amazing time doing it. After talking with Russ and Kara for a while though, it was time to go. It sucks that I have to close my eyes now to go to that place, however, it isn't hard to go there because the people there hold such a special place in my heart. As I hugged Kara and Russ goodbye (see you soon), I couldn't help but shed a tear as I turned to go. These people pour their heart and soul into everything HOBY. They do it for one simple reason. They know they can change the world simply by loving it.