Gunnar Smith, a Highland High School junior, attended the 2023 Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) conference at Mount Saint Mary College this past summer, gaining experiences that he hopes will serve him well in college and beyond. His participation was sponsored by the Highland Rotary Club.
RYLA is an annual event that brings youth from across the region together for an intensive experience designed to help them develop skills in leadership, team-building, problem-solving, and communication, while also having fun and making connections. RYLA’s main goal is to teach youth about the power of confidence, comfort, and cooperativeness. Participants are provided a once-in-a-lifetime experience that builds social and working skills.
Smith returned from the conference excited, energized and full of confidence. He says that the most valuable thing he took away from RYLA was “definitely leadership, which will be needed down the line for college or my future career.”