Nora Blalock '09
Nine outstanding days. The best nine days of my life. The World Leadership Congress I attended in July 2007 absolutely changed my life. How many people can say that they have learned practical jokes from teenagers from Taiwan, bet on a baseball game with girls from the Dominican Republic and Mexico, or played basketball with a boy from Germany? What about that two of your best friends live in Texas and Ethiopia, or that you have discussed the health care crisis with a friend from Toronto.
After receiving the Tayloe Scholarship last May, I was able to fund my trip to Washington, D.C. After arriving, the 500 attendees from all over the world were divided into separate sections which were then split into four or five groups. You ended up knowing the people in your section very well. The first night in my dorm room, I was pleased to discover that my three roommates were all very interesting, open-minded and a lot of fun. The four of us got along magnificently and would stay up until dawn discussing the day’s events.
During the program, we were trained to be better leaders in our community, as well as better people. We spent about four or five hours of the day in panel sessions, facilitated by leaders from various fields. For example, we were able to listen to and meet a co-discoverer of the AIDS virus, the Secretary of Education, the inventor of the Hubble Space Telescope and Miss Teen U.S.A. While some of the panels were more exciting than others, they were all helpful and applicable to our lives.
It was not a case of “all work and no play” however. We were able to do a lot of enjoyable activities around D.C. We saw a Nationals baseball game (which I’m happy to say they won), visited various museums and monuments, went on a cruise on the Spirit of Washington and had a few dances. One day had a community service theme, and my group participated in Habitat for Humanity. We were able to help build and paint houses in the less affluent districts of the city and really helped make a difference. After five hours of hammering, dry-walling and nail-gunning, I was exhausted. There was never a free moment though, as that night we had a cookout with Hugh O’Brian (the actor who started the program) and a talent show. We had an authentic Hawaiian dance, a Kenyan drum beat, an English punk rocker and many more.
The Hugh O’Brien Youth World Leadership Conference was the most amazing experience of my life and taught me so much. I am still in contact with all of the friends that I made, whether through face book, phone conversations, E-mails, or letters. These people changed my life, especially the international ambassadors, who gave me a whole new perspective on life. Abel from Ethiopia was blind and impoverished but had amazing talent on the piano and had his way paid there by a missionary who had visited his hut. Mandy from Taiwan deals with the pressure that China imposes on her country’s government every day, and it is a very emotional topic for her. Alexa was the only girl in her family to ever go to high school, or even leave her small town in Argentina.
These people all influenced my life and made me a better person. All of the participants’ amazing accomplishments encouraged me to do something of my own. This year I formed a club supporting CHKD, which has made a difference in my life. We have had amazing success for this new club. I am so proud of all of my members and the enthusiasm they have to the program. CHKD Club consists of fundraising, which goes directly to the hospital, raising awareness and actually going to visit and do fun activities with the sick children.
For any rising or current sophomores, I encourage you to sign up for HOBY VA and HOBY WLC. It will be scary at first – I spent many sleepless nights nervously anticipating – but it will be better than you could ever have imagined. Come prepared with a good attitude and a willingness to make a difference, and you won’t regret it. If anyone has any questions, or wants to know more, feel free to contact me.
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After receiving the Tayloe Scholarship last May, I was able to fund my trip to Washington, D.C. After arriving, the 500 attendees from all over the world were divided into separate sections which were then split into four or five groups. You ended up knowing the people in your section very well. The first night in my dorm room, I was pleased to discover that my three roommates were all very interesting, open-minded and a lot of fun. The four of us got along magnificently and would stay up until dawn discussing the day’s events.
During the program, we were trained to be better leaders in our community, as well as better people. We spent about four or five hours of the day in panel sessions, facilitated by leaders from various fields. For example, we were able to listen to and meet a co-discoverer of the AIDS virus, the Secretary of Education, the inventor of the Hubble Space Telescope and Miss Teen U.S.A. While some of the panels were more exciting than others, they were all helpful and applicable to our lives.
It was not a case of “all work and no play” however. We were able to do a lot of enjoyable activities around D.C. We saw a Nationals baseball game (which I’m happy to say they won), visited various museums and monuments, went on a cruise on the Spirit of Washington and had a few dances. One day had a community service theme, and my group participated in Habitat for Humanity. We were able to help build and paint houses in the less affluent districts of the city and really helped make a difference. After five hours of hammering, dry-walling and nail-gunning, I was exhausted. There was never a free moment though, as that night we had a cookout with Hugh O’Brian (the actor who started the program) and a talent show. We had an authentic Hawaiian dance, a Kenyan drum beat, an English punk rocker and many more.
The Hugh O’Brien Youth World Leadership Conference was the most amazing experience of my life and taught me so much. I am still in contact with all of the friends that I made, whether through face book, phone conversations, E-mails, or letters. These people changed my life, especially the international ambassadors, who gave me a whole new perspective on life. Abel from Ethiopia was blind and impoverished but had amazing talent on the piano and had his way paid there by a missionary who had visited his hut. Mandy from Taiwan deals with the pressure that China imposes on her country’s government every day, and it is a very emotional topic for her. Alexa was the only girl in her family to ever go to high school, or even leave her small town in Argentina.
These people all influenced my life and made me a better person. All of the participants’ amazing accomplishments encouraged me to do something of my own. This year I formed a club supporting CHKD, which has made a difference in my life. We have had amazing success for this new club. I am so proud of all of my members and the enthusiasm they have to the program. CHKD Club consists of fundraising, which goes directly to the hospital, raising awareness and actually going to visit and do fun activities with the sick children.
For any rising or current sophomores, I encourage you to sign up for HOBY VA and HOBY WLC. It will be scary at first – I spent many sleepless nights nervously anticipating – but it will be better than you could ever have imagined. Come prepared with a good attitude and a willingness to make a difference, and you won’t regret it. If anyone has any questions, or wants to know more, feel free to contact me.
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