Madi Boerger
Senior, Spring Lake High School
The Rotary District 6290 Life Leadership Conference was the most beneficial experience I have had to date, yet so unlike anything else I have experienced. Throughout the entire duration of the conference, I was so intrigued by each person that spoke and each student that asked a question. All of the activities were perfectly curated to keep me engaged, entertained, and learning something about myself or others that I had no idea about before. Honestly, the phrase ‘worth it’ doesn't do LLC justice. Not only was it so beyond worth it, LLC was very influential in my life while also being one of the most fun things I did all summer.
The staff was all amazing. I loved hearing how to flip my 20 (Molly Kennedy), how life has no limits (Ben Whiting), and how life has no problems, only opportunities (Howard Oesterling). But what I especially loved was the fresh take on life presented by Anne Bonney. Anne started off her keynote by talking about the brain and the amygdala, the part of the brain that decides if you're scared or excited. She talked about how there is no such thing as being fearless and how trying new things promotes growth. She preached becoming comfortable with the uncomfortable, how actions shrivel your anxieties, and that your happiness depends on your environment. The main thing I walked away with, however, is the and not but attitude. “I'm scared AND I got this” No buts, no situational context, no doubt.
Aside from the speakers, a huge thing that stuck out to me was the sheer volume of students who are so alike. Never in my life have I encountered a place where I felt like I fit in perfectly, a place where I immediately felt accepted right from the get-go. Everyone at LLC was so like-minded, I guarantee I would be best friends with all of them if I had gotten the opportunity to talk to them more. Making friends was the easiest it's ever been because everyone there had at least one thing in common: impeccable leadership qualities.
Since I have left LLC, I often think back to conversations I had at LLC and the innumerable amount of things I learned there. Moving forward I hope to inspire others and share with them what I learned to create many great leaders!
Much like other attendees, I wish LLC was longer! With a few more days there would have been more time to solidify friendships and get to know people better, also we would have had the opportunity to learn even more! Additionally, with a little more free time students would have been able to better interact with the staff and ask follow-up questions and expand on the keynote with their friends if they so choose.
Finally, I just want to express my gratitude to Spring Lake Rotary for sponsoring me and giving me this great opportunity!
Emma Wahlberg
Senior, Spring Lake High School Interact Club
The Life Leadership Conference is a life changing experience for everyone involved. You learn so much, not just from the speakers, but also from the other students you get to meet and create relationships with. Everyone there wants to be there. There was never a moment of negativity or disruption from someone. The positive environment was really refreshing to see, especially in today’s world where there is so much bad happening and people are hard to deal with. I even had the confidence to sing in the talent show! I can’t think of anywhere else or anyone else that I would be able to do that in front of. That’s how positive and uplifting this conference is.
For weeks after the conference I can remember wishing I could go back there and not have to deal with the outside world. But that was unrealistic. I knew if I told anyone from the conference how I was feeling they would tell me that I need to think about this differently. Instead of being upset about having to deal with negative, problematic people, I needed to use what I learned at the conference and start looking forward. After telling myself this so many times, I soon got over the sense of dread when it came to issues. I now face those issues or problematic people head on and deal with it just like I was taught to at LLC.
If anyone is ever hesitant to go to the Life Leadership Conference, I would tell them there is no better opportunity and they need to go. If it were possible, I’d say every high schooler needs to go: the sooner the better, that’s how great of an impact this conference can have on a person and had on me. I will carry this experience with me through the rest of my life. The pages of notes I took while I was there will always be in the front of my mind when dealing with life moving forward.
All the speakers we heard were each eye opening and unique. I could never choose a favorite, because everything we learned from one speaker could be related back so easily to another. I learned that when you implement one new way of thinking, it automatically leads to more ways of thinking and ultimately creates a better person inside. It may not seem like it in today’s world, but it’s so easy to be a better person when you have the drive to do so.
We learned so much, but the two things that stuck out to me the most were “flip your twenty” and “stay curious”. Molly Kennedy was the speaker who first introduced “flip your twenty”, but like I said, all the other speakers were able to relate back to what she said and therefore all the speakers had a hand at teaching me this. “Stay curious” was another topic that multiple people touched on and the idea kept growing in my head and I was able to really take it and shape it into my own idea. At some point in that process, I realized that I was already doing both of these in my life, but I now have more awareness of them and can bring that awareness to more people in my everyday life.
Not only did I learn about changing my perspective and being a better leader, I also was exposed to all the great things that Rotary does like the End Polio Now Campaign. I want to bring that back with me to school and get my Interact club more involved internationally. I also have already started to get more involved with Rotary and have been given more opportunities through the people I met at the conference.
Taking what this conference taught me and the people I met there, I will keep taking steps through life that can be directly linked to this conference. Thank you Life Leadership Conference conferees and adults for bringing out my best self and giving me the confidence I need to make this world my own.
.png)
