Last weekend I had the opportunity to do something pretty cool. No, I didn’t participate in Bay To Breakers, instead I spent my weekend with 140 high school sophomores from around Indiana. I flew to Indianapolis to volunteer with HOBY Indiana from June 7 – 10 as a facilitator. I’ve been volunteering with HOBY for 10 years now and have loved every second of it. Over the past 10 years I’ve participated in at least one HOBY seminar a year and each one has taught me something new. For those of you that don’t know me, this organization has a pretty special place in my heart. So special in fact, that several of my coworkers have developed a pretty nifty nickname for me: HOBY Wan Kenobi. Seriously. First, allow me to explain HOBY.

HOBY Indiana is an affiliate of Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership, a non-profit organization dedicated to the development of “tomorrow's leaders” by reaching high school sophomores. HOBY Leadership Seminars bring together a select group of high school sophomores to interact with groups of distinguished leaders within the community to discuss present and future issues. In addition, HOBY leaders are also challenged to return to their communities to perform at least 100 hours of community service within 12 months of their seminar. The Indiana HOBY Seminar consists of four days of activities where students are able to interact with their peers as well as leaders from across the state in order to hone their critical thinking skills. Students participate in leadership exercises that challenge their thought processes in an environment that encourages and stimulates free thought and open communication. All expenses for the seminar are paid for through donations from corporations, foundations, service organizations and individuals. Over 6,000 Hoosier sophomores have participated in the seminar over the program’s 28-year history.

What continues to impress me year after year is the caliber of students that attend these seminars. You would think that after 10 years with HOBY and countless state and global seminars, that I would have seen it all and run out of lessons - that couldn’t be further from the truth. Just this last weekend I observed something with these kids that was a far cry from the spoiled celebutantes we see in the news. On a hot, muggy day in Indianapolis I saw these high school sophomores roll up their sleeves and pitch in to make a community park a better place. These students worked hard painting, landscaping and cleaning. I never heard one student complain and I never saw a student without a smile on their face. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in a very long time. At the end of the seminar I asked a few students what the highlight of their time at HOBY was. I expected to hear many of them say the dance or perhaps the fact that the dorm let them eat ice cream for breakfast. You know what the most common answer was: the volunteer project.

One of my favorite quotes is: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” After meeting all of these students this weekend, I’m pretty sure we’re headed in the right direction.