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My Turn By Kayla Campaña A life-changing experience

| 16 Jul 2013 | 05:17
    Kayla CampaÒa, a student at S.S. Seward Institute in Florida, was one of 200 high school sophomores to participate in the Hugh OíBrian Youth Leadership Seminar, also known as HOBY, held this spring at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate Troy.
    Kayla CampaÒa, a student at S.S. Seward Institute in Florida, was one of 200 high school sophomores to participate in the Hugh OíBrian Youth Leadership Seminar, also known as HOBY, held this spring at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate Troy.
    Pictured here are Kayla CampaÒa and some of the other students who attended the Hugh OíBrian Youth Leadership Seminar held this spring at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. Kayla is the young woman second from the left in the second row of students.
    Pictured here are Kayla CampaÒa and some of the other students who attended the Hugh OíBrian Youth Leadership Seminar held this spring at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy. Kayla is the young woman second from the left in the second row of students.

The Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar, also know as HOBY, is a three-day seminar for high school sophomores to explore opportunities for community service, becoming a better leader, trying new activities and meeting new people from across the state.

HOBY was founded by a man named Hugh O’Brian who hoped to promote the characteristics of volunteerism, integrity, excellence, diversity and community partnership to coming generations. This spring, the HOBY New York East Seminar was located at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

I was given the opportunity to attend.

HOBY was undoubtedly the best experience of my life. Our daily routine was filled with many service projects and memorable activities. My group of about 30 sophomores at the seminar spent five hours at a local food bank in Troy, sorting and packing food to be sent off to homeless shelters.

We didn’t even realize we had spent five hours there because we felt so good to be doing what we were doing!

We were divided into smaller groups of about ten people and got involved in other activities, such as “The Free Market Challenge.” We were given the task of creating our own business by bidding on specific items and having to create a product from whatever items we won.

Out of over 200 sophomores split into twenty-one groups, my group happened to win with our product, the “Fantastic Fan!” This taught us not only how to cooperate in a group to create a business, but also how to improvise and become better entrepreneurs.

The most eye-opening activity we did was called the “Architect’s Challenge.” Without us knowing, the staff at HOBY began to treat each group as a different minority that has been discriminated against in society, ranging from women to the Spanish speaking population.

It really opened our eyes because you can never know how it feels to be discriminated against until you step into the shoes of someone who has been.

HOBY was an absolutely life-changing experience, designed to “unwrap a leader” within all of those who attended.

I’d say the best part about it was all the enthusiasm, with loud cheering and chanting every minute of everyday.

I arrived at HOBY, the quiet person that I am, scared I was going to be too shy to talk to anybody. By the end of the weekend, I had made new friends and was getting up, doing all the cheers, too.

HOBY is devoted to giving young people a chance to develop leadership skills and become more successful in their future endeavors. Given the opportunity, I would definitely recommend getting involved with HOBY. It has influenced thousands of people to give back to their community and has challenged each one of us to make a difference in the world.


Kayla Campaña completed her sophomore year at S.S. Seward Institute in Florida last month. She was chosen to attend the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Seminar based on her grades and achievements. She said she felt honored to be chosen and wanted to share her experience with others.