Student experience at leaders conference exceeds expectations

During the spring of 2008 I received a letter from the National Young Leaders State Conference (NYLSC). It informed me that I was nominated to attend the National Young Leaders State Conference by my band instructor Mrs. Robinson.

I was thrilled that I was going to spend three nights and four days at the Westin in Princeton for the leadership conference. I couldn't wait to meet other scholars from all over New Jersey.

Months passed since I received the letter in the spring of 2008 and finally, the weekend that I had been waiting for arrived. I arrived at NYLSC on Nov. 6 and left on Nov. 9. My experience at NYLSC definitely exceeded my expectations.

The first thing that we learned at the conference was that anyone can make a difference. We learned that Robert Kennedy believed in the ripple of hope, which means: If everyone creates a little ripple, those ripples can form to make a wave. In the beginning of the conference we all doubted that this could happen.

We were then divided into water groups. I was a part of the Colorado River group. In our groups we not only enhanced our leadership skills, but we learned how to apply them in everyday life. We learned that people have different personalities when trying to resolve a conflict. Some people might want to find a compromise, some just might want to ignore the issue, appease others, or turn the conflict into a competition. We also learned the best way to approach a fellow group member when you don't agree with what they are saying.

At the conference, everyone grew close to one another. We learned different techniques to improve our public speaking skills. Once we mastered the skills, we got up in front of our group and gave an oral presentation, while being video taped. Later, we viewed ourselves on the tape and received feedback from the rest of the group. We learned about the Johari window, and the four different points of views of it. The first point of view (open) is something that you and everyone else knows (example: I am wearing blue pants). The second point of view (hidden from self) is something that you do not know, that others know (example: If I was walking around with the tags still on my clothes). Third (hidden from others) is something that you know that other people do not know (example: you might not like to dance). Finally, the fourth point of view is something that you don't know, and others do not know (example: I will earn a 95 on a test two weeks from now). The whole point of this lesson was to teach you that when you are talking to others, you want to be in the open part of the window.

Aside from our river groups, we had to choose a committee to be in. You could choose to run a scholar led seminar, the variety show, the press club, or the commencement. I chose the press club because of my love for writing. In the press club I was on the interviews subcommittee. In these committees we put our leadership skills to the test, and found that they work.

Overall, I enjoyed my experience at NYLSC. I met so many amazing people that will be my friends for a lifetime. I have already tested out my leadership skills and have found that they work very efficiently. I cannot wait for more opportunities to come up, so I can keep using them. By the end of the conference, we all believed that if everyone makes a little ripple, it can turn into a wave; and we are excited to find out what our little ripples will be.
Gabriella Morrone
Eighth-grader
Millstone Middle School