Saranac Lake Sr. High students Cedar Young, Reuban Bernstein, Simon Thill, and Tucker Jakob have been selected to attend the New York East Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY NY East) Seminar held at SUNY Oneonta.

They will be joined by over 220 high school sophomores from across eastern New York.

Each spring, select area sophomores from public, private, and home schools convene at one of the 70 State Leadership Seminars across the country to recognize their leadership talents and apply them to becoming effective and ethical leaders. Student participants (known as HOBY Ambassadors) take part in hands-on activities, meet leaders in their state, and explore their own personal leadership skills while learning how to lead others and make a positive impact in their community.

2019 will be the 33rd HOBY N.Y. East Seminar. This year’s program will include engaging speakers including Nico Meyering from the CCHS Foundation and Dr. Addrain Conyers from Marist College. A service learning project is planned with the Center for Donation and Transport which will support efforts to honor organ donors and their families.

At the end of the seminar, HOBY Ambassadors are challenged to give back by serving at least 100 volunteer hours in their communities. Students who complete the Leadership for Service Challenge within 12 months of their seminar are eligible for the HOBY L4S Challenge Award and the President’s Volunteer Service Award. Alumni who log 4,000 hours of service within their lifetime receive the President’s Call to Service Award from HOBY. To date, HOBY Ambassadors have performed over 3 million hours of volunteer service in their communities.

Following a motivational meeting with Dr. Albert Schweitzer during a trip to Africa in 1958, Actor Hugh O’Brian was inspired to establish Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership. “One of the things Dr. Schweitzer said to me was that the most important thing in education was to teach young people to think for themselves,” O’Brian said. “From that inspiration, and with the support of others who believe in youth and the American dream, I started HOBY to seek out, recognize, and develop outstanding leadership potential among our nation’s youth.”

For further information about HOBY programs and sponsorship opportunities contact chair@hobynye.org.