Congratulations to DCS sophomores Jennifer Patino and Paige Kropp on their acceptance into the HOBY New York East Leadership Conference, which will take place this weekend — Friday, May 31 through Sunday, June 2 — at the University at Albany.
The prestigious Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) program was founded in 1958, with the mission to inspire and develop the global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation.
Last year, current DCS junior Hailey Rose had the opportunity to attend the conference as a sophomore, and was able to encourage her younger colleagues to apply for HOBY this year.
Rose reminisced on her time at HOBY as a wonderful opportunity to meet students from other schools and network with professionals and influential leaders. “I made lifelong friends with some of the people I met at HOBY and there are several of us who have stayed in touch over this last year,” she said. She also noted that her biggest takeaway from participating in HOBY was learning about the different types of leadership and how you can affect your community at large — skills that she plans to develop further at DCS.
Both Patino and Kropp are very active with their school communities and participate in Student Council, Leo Club, and Yearbook. They were also both inducted into DCS’ National Honor Society this year. Patino also participates in band and is part of the pit orchestra for Drama Club. She also competes with DCS’ high school Odyssey of the Mind team. Kropp is a dedicated athlete and participates in a club swim team year round.
Patino said she is excited to meet new people at this weekend’s HOBY conference and learn about their cultures and their experiences. She is also looking forward to a bit of a “trial run” of the “college experience,” since HOBY students stay overnight in the dorms at UAlbany.
Kropp is also looking forward to networking with students and professionals and elevating her leadership skills using whatever tools she may learn this weekend. She said she feels it is important for students in rural areas that attend small schools to expand their horizons whenever they have the opportunity to do so — “venture off campus” to see new places and have memorable experiences outside of school.