On November 19 through 21 of 2017, students from the Student Council and I attended a Leadership Conference in Albany, New York. Throughout the conference we got to meet students from all over New York. Over the few days that we were there, we had the privilege to listen to four guest speakers that discussed leadership and how it helped shape their lives.

The first speaker we listened to was Eddie Slowikowski and he told us about his life story. When Eddie was a student in high school he ran track. His goal was to get first place in one of the most important races for him. Before the day of the race, Eddie and his father were watching a hockey game and the team they were routing for won. Eddie said he never saw his father so happy and his father said to him you have to be the best to win. So the day of his race, Eddie wanted to get first place so he could be the best. He shifted between first and second place throughout the race but, in the end he received second. Eddie was disappointed that he lost but, when he crossed the finish line he saw the huge smile that was on his father’s face. Eddie began to apologize to his father for not being the best. Eddie’s father told him that he was sorry for telling him he had to be the best to win because it wasn’t about being the best there is, it was about being the best version of himself. Eddie’s message was that you have to become the best version of you, because there is only one you in this world.

Before attending this conference, people told me how great it is and promised I’d have a great time. While there, I became a lot closer with people I thought I would never talk to. At this conference, I learned how to step out of my comfort zone. I got to interview  Ms.Scharf, the advisor for student council and the advisor for the conference. Ms.Scharf said, “Let’s congratulate Sahil Kapoor on being on the state board, representing District 1 for the past year, all his hard work on the conference paid off. The students got their passports filled with wonderful leadership ideas. Sahil passes the torch to Patrick Lopez who will be the new District 1 rep and Misean Fredrick will also serve on the state board as an at large representative. Also, Jessica D’Antonio, received a Leadership award at the conference for all her hard work to our student council.”  I also interviewed Jessica D’Antonio, the student council president. Jessica attended this conference for four years and this year was her last. I got to ask her what she learned from this conference and she responded with, “I learned how to become an effective leader and what it truly means to be a leader.”