The Youth Leadership Conference (my experience)

I never imagined that I would get to live my dream. A dream I aimed for, growing up, watching movies where students would live their best life in college. I wanted to be like those main characters, living a life with their roommates, having friends to run the hallways with and feeling excited for what comes next.

I am eternally grateful to have lived my dream. I am grateful to have gotten a taste of the dorm life before my college experience through this intensive but rewarding youth leadership conference.

14th July.

The packing that I had weeks to do was done in one day or specifically in a few hours before we had to leave. 

At around 1:30, we arrived at Texas Wesleyan University. It took us a few minutes to navigate to the registration desk, but then we made it. My parents helped me unpack and dropped me off at the dorm. I waited there for my roommate.

Honestly, I was anxious to see who my roommate for 5 days would be because no matter how anyone else at the conference was, my roommate was the one I would come back to, every day. However, I got an amazing roommate. She and I talked a lot. 

Like in the case of many fantasy fictional characters, there was a test to see how strong our friendship was. It was the time when we found a cockroach in the room and collectively decided to scream and panic rather than take any action against it. We did, however, convince someone else to kill the cockroach for us which was a testament to our teamwork. 

Then all 45 students gathered downstairs for the orientation. Soon we were all told about all our assignments, which seemed like a lot at first but after allocating tasks, it got easier. 

Our day ended at 10:30.

15th July 

An alarm from my phone blared at 6:40. Rather than wanting to go back to bed, I was looking forward to a full day at the conference. After getting ready, we had breakfast. 

I was delighted to see pizza! Pizza for breakfast? Yes. 

I was looking forward to the lectures for the day. The lecturers were people who had accomplished so much, I did not know how they could do all of this in just one lifetime. Not to mention, how the lecturers managed to make their speeches engaging to the tired students in the audience. I learnt from them, the qualities of a good speaker. 

And I am also grateful for the team I was a part of, we all just fit in together as a perfect team! Eagles forever!

Not to brag, but we also had the best talent show skit ever! We practiced outside, it was windy and dark, at 8:30 pm for our talent show skit and our Shark Tank presentation (which I strongly believe we deserved more compensation for).

And before I knew it, it was time for bed. 

16th July 

After a yoghurt bowl breakfast, which was refreshing and delicious. I would like to thank the chefs who cooked for us for 5 days, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food was spectacular. 

We had lectures from some inspiring leaders and speakers. I am still astounded by remembering how extremely well accomplished our speakers were, I am so grateful I got to hear and learn from them.

I also got to witness a mock trial which was so well performed. It did not feel like a performance. A real judge and prosecutors, plaintiffs, witnesses, defendants, the jury who were all students but did not once seem like students. 

After dinner, we had the talent show. 

I wasn't even surprised to see amazing singers, magicians, actors, comedians, and dancers on the stage, because I knew everyone at the conference was talented! 

I read a new poem for the talent show, and our team had a skit where a therapist sees weird clients. Extremely weird clients. One of them is afraid of chairs, the other is afraid of midgets, another “couple” got their feet welded together by putting their feet in the same shoe. Also, a client who thinks bugs are overthrowing the world, and a client who is addicted to interrupting people. 

I just wanted to talk about the skit because I want you to bask in the amazingness of the artistry that went into putting up such an act.

After the talent show officially ended, we were all called upon the stage to dance to Y.M.C.A.

And suddenly, we were running around the auditorium freely. It was amazing. Mostly everyone’s faces were red because of laughter (mine definitely was). And at that moment, when we started to run around the auditorium, I realized the freedoms we have. Ranging from freedom to speak, freedom to learn and all the constitutional freedoms.

After the talent show, we had a game. A team of nine members had to fit into a square of approximately 14 inches. It was chaos. We had tried everything. I and another team member of mine were piggybacked. I commend those who chose to piggyback us, they were strong. Even after intense piggybacking and squeezing into that small square, we couldn't do it in time. So what? It wasn't about winning, it was about team building, leadership and planning and in that it worked, our team had won because we were all closer to each other than before. 

Soon, it was bedtime. I wrote a journal entry and went to sleep.

17th July 

 

After breakfast and some more lectures, which I wasn’t bored of because the speakers, their experiences and their life lessons were meaningful to me. I have learnt a lot from the lectures, in terms of concrete definitions and philosophical and deeper truths of life. One thing I have realized, the biggest realization, is that patriotism goes beyond just its dictionary definition. It is a greater hope, that stands even in the most dire times. It should be preserved and should live on in the generations to come. 

At around 6:00, we had a banquet. I got to see my parents and we heard from an inspiring speaker, a person who went to war when he was our age. Hearing about the speaker’s personal experience, the rationed boxes of food, the uncomfortable living conditions and the death and destruction that came with war made me realize how privileged I am. 

Just like that, my last full day at the conference came to an end. 

18th July 

After a warm pancake, doughnut, hash brown potatoes and cold yoghurt bowl breakfast, we went to our dorms to pack up. I stuffed my suitcase and bag and got ready for the last day at the conference.

We all took a group photo and after some more activities, we had discussions. We talked about our experience at the conference. 

All 45 students were then awarded their certificates for attending the conference. 

And it was time to go.

Before we went, we signed each other’s shirts. I realized how it's possible to know people and make connections in just 5 days. I realized how leadership, teamwork, patriotism and knowledge will get not only a person but also a country ahead. 

Lastly, I would like to thank Dallas Chapter MOWW for sponsoring me and allowing me to have this enriching 5 day experience.

Thank you for reading :)

Vidhi Dasani.