Pictured is the group photograph taken at the conclusion of the 2015 Westlake Area Youth Group Fall Retreat. Roughly 75 high school students attended the retreat, and I, alongside one of my peers, had the privilege of coordinating and directing the retreat. We were challenged to draw on past experiences from previous years’ retreats to build the best possible atmosphere that we could for the students spiritual growth. Directing the retreat was a very joy filled experience, as I had the honor of working with some amazing administrators from St. Ladislas and St. Bernadette’s parishes, 75 incredibly inspirational students, and friends both new and old. However, directing the retreat presented some serious challenges. Logistically, it is very difficult to coordinate engaging activities that can entertain 14-18 year old students for 72 hours, but also remain true to their purpose of leading to breakthroughs in faith. Yet, the planning of the retreat went smoothly enough, as my co-director and myself conferred with many students about what types of activities were preferred. It was on the actual retreat that the difficulties arose. One of the most important takeaways from this retreat for me was the realization that leaders cannot be brittle: they must be incredibly flexible and also strong, able to bounce back when things don’t go according to plan, but aware of how to follow an ideal agenda. Allotting appropriate amounts of time for activities seemed simple on paper. ‘Simply base the time needed off of previous years’ retreats’; however, this does not represent a perfect system, and every retreat is different from year to year. Different events require more time than others from year to year, and there is a very fine line between when extending the time of an activity, and cutting another event short, will benefit the participants and when it will be a failure to do so. Throughout this retreat I learned a ton about myself as a leader, and I was presented with a need to grow stronger as a leader in a very short amount of time. The most important takeaway of the whole retreat for me was a very important lesson about what it means to be a leader: when put under pressure to make difficult decisions, a leader puts aside personal bias and truly looks at the condition of those around him/her, and makes decisions based off of how to best serve those who will be affected. The true test of a leader is how well he serves his followers.

The picture below is from the day that I met Senator John Glenn and his wife Annie Glenn to accept a two-thirds scholarship in their name to attend The Ohio State University as a public affairs major in the John Glenn College. I was truly privileged to meet such a man as John Glenn, it isn’t every day that I get to meet an American hero! This experience truly helped me to grow immensely in several ways. First, it caused me to take a step back and really reflect about what John Glenn’s legacy is: he will be remembered as a man who put others before himself at all times and served for the good of the American public and the world. Secondly, when I was in the application process I was asked to think critically about what leadership and service meant to me, and I really had to search my heart to find my true answer which, in the words of late President Lyndon B. Johnson, is “to do for other what they are unable to do for themselves.” And lastly, when I was asked to come to campus in April to accept the scholarship at a Glenn College board meeting, I was asked to speak about who I was and what the scholarship meant to me. The answer to that question came from what I learned about John Glenn as a leader, and how much of that I desired to see in myself as well. The link to the YouTube video below captures my acceptance speech of the Glenn scholarship. The lessons I learned about both John Glenn and myself have guided my education to the public affairs major, and to seeking a career through public service.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1KY3Jx–K4&feature=youtu.be