NYLSC comes to Ypsilanti
The goal of this conference was to take the skills of a successful leader, and break them down to improve each individual trait. We discussed ways to deal with particular situations, to resolve conflicts, and to make essential decisions.
Although it might just sound like four intense days of school, it was a very fun experience. The first day, we arrived and they put us in groups, the people we would be with for 80% of the time. We then went to our conference rooms, with our groups, and got to know each other. That night after dinner, we received our room assignments. You roomed with one or two people, which sometimes were in your group.
On Friday, we went to our committee meetings. Committee meetings were seperate groups you were assigned to that you met with once a day. You got to chose between newspaper, variety show, scholar led seminars, or commencement. In newspaper, you wrote a newspaper about the experience at the conference. In variety show, you put together the performance for Saturday night showcasing the talents of the scholars at NYLSC. In scholar led seminars, you picked a topic with a group, and you taught other scholars about it. Finally in commencement, you put together the ceremony on the last day celebrating what we completed, which served as almost a graduation.
On Saturday night, we had the variety show. The performance was a wide variety of talents, ranging from singing, dancing, and poems. In order to be in this process, you had to go through an audition process.
On Sunday, we met with our groups, and then headed to the commencement ceremony. Not only the scholars and the counselors were there, but also the families of the people who attended. The ceremony was a very nice collection of speeches, acts from the variety show, and pictures. Once the ceremony ended, the conference was finished, and the scholars went home with their families.
Overall, the experience was much different from what I expected it to be. I went into the conference, thinking it would not be fun. I came out, excited and happy that I had gone, and I couldn’t wait to test out the skills I learned.
By: Julia