Chinook High School sophomores, Morgan Friede and Tyler Schoen have been named the Hugh O'Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership Seminar Ambassadors for 2021. The pair will attend a seminar from June 3-6 on the campus of Rocky Mountain College in Billings.
Judged by a selection committee designated by the school, Friede and Schoen stood out for their leadership ability, sensitivity to others, and desire to communicate their knowledge to peers. According to Fay Friede, the K-12 Guidance Counselor for Chinook School District and the Student Council Advisor at Chinook High School, the emphasis for selection was on personal incentive and leadership potential.
As part of the application process, the two sophomores had to discuss both the rewarding and challenging aspects of being a leader. For Schoen, one of the many rewards comes in learning how to perform with proficiency while working with others to accomplish a goal. "But being a leader also has some challenges. You might not always be able to hang out with your friends because you need to do some community service, for example," he stated.
Schoen's classmate, Morgan Friede elaborated by saying: "I have been a part of groups in and outside of school and observed others in leadership roles. The leaders I look up to are those who listen to everyone's ideas and treat everyone with respect, including those who are younger, less popular, and less experienced. I think the most challenging part of being a leader would be to make sure everyone feels important and included. The most rewarding part of being a leader would be that people look up to you, feel good about what's been accomplished, and have a sense of contributing to the process."
HOBY was founded by Hugh O'Brian in 1958 as a nonprofit organization with a mission to inspire a global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service, and innovation. With that mission in mind, HOBY has worked to seek out, recognize, and develop leadership potential in high school sophomores by conducting annual, all-expense-paid seminars.
During these seminars, tenth graders have the opportunity to meet, interact with, and question regionally, nationally and internationally renowned leaders in business, government, education, and the professions. The informal question-and-answer format during these seminars meets HOBY'S specific goals:
• To encourage and assist students in their quest for self-development and self-identification
• To introduce potential leaders to today's recognized leaders through informal, give-and-take discussions on a variety of current, critical topics
• To provide through this exposure the opportunity to explore America's incentive system, the democratic process, and community service.
Next month in Billings, the two teens will participate in a highly interactive leadership development curriculum designed to help them discover leadership from a personal, group, and socially responsible perspective. They will also interact with business leaders with the opportunity for a college internship and career after graduation, as well as the opportunity to apply for and receive college scholarship funds.