HOBY Candidates Selected

For over five decades, Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) has inspired young people to become catalysts for positive change in their home, school, workplace, and community. In order to support that vision and to fulfill their mission "to inspire and develop our global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service and innovation," HOBY has held leadership seminars each spring. When this year's State Leadership Seminar takes place from June 11-14 at Montana State University–Billings, five students from Chinook High School will be among the delegates.

Jace Bemis, Quin Billmayer, Sydney Bowles, Bryce Elliot, and Chyler Standiford will join other sophomores from across the state where they will learn to recognize their leadership talents and apply them to become effective, ethical leaders. As youth ambassadors, the five will participate in activities, keynotes, and discussions focused on HOBY's three phases of the Social Change Model of Leadership: personal leadership, group leadership, and societal leadership.

All potential candidates applied earlier this spring. As part of the application process, each wrote an essay regarding leadership, and once their names were removed from their writing, a group of teachers voted to select who would represent Chinook.

According to Chinook's K-12 Guidance Counselor, Fay Friede, this year the school is able to take more students because of a donation received. Given that new element, students who were interested interviewed with Friede and made a commitment to attend. Occasionally events like sports camps and other summer programs conflict with schedules.

"HOBY is an event that is for every and any student, so there's not a good fit, so to speak, because ALL students fit at HOBY," Friede stated.

The seminar begins with opening ceremonies at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday and ends with closing ceremonies at noon on Sunday, June 14, 2026. In between, the youth will interact with many dynamic leaders-all volunteers from the fields of business, education, government, and other professions. These volunteers will address aspects of our changing world and the challenges future leaders will confront. In addition to these speakers, the program also includes leadership activities and social events,

Although the program will not promote any specific political party or religion, it is designed to develop critical thinking skills by actively involving participants in discussions and informal debate. During the seminar, Billmayer, Standiford, Bowles, Bemis, and Elliot will be asked to undertake a community service project involving at least 100 hours during the year following their seminar. This project should focus on making a difference in the school, community, place of worship, or other setting where they see a need.