USD students volunteer at HOBY

The University of South Dakota proudly announced that 13 students and two staff members from USD volunteered at the 2007 Hugh O'Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership Seminar on the Dakota Wesleyan University campus in Mitchell June 6-10. HOBY is an annual seminar held all over the United States for outstanding high school sophomores interested in enhancing their leadership skills.

The student volunteers included Bracy Brown of Pipestone, MN; Jonathan Drefs of Armour; Sarah Fish of Kingsley, IA; Brian Gadeken of Hartington, NE; Matt Hammer of Rock Rapids, IA; Garrett Howardson of Clark; Becky Kjellsen of Watertown; Daniel Letsche of Marcus, IA; Erin Muckey of Corsica; Kala Perry of Lennox; Daniel Rohmiller of Lawton, IA; and Jenny Zerfas of Yankton.

Jacquie Lonning, student action coordinator at USD and the 2007 HOBY SD Leadership Seminar chair, and Cody Siewert, Greek Life coordinator and corporate board president of HOBY SD, also volunteered their time as members of the board of directors for HOBY SD.

"It was an honor to have so many of the U's great leaders involved in this event to serve as mentors for the high school youth. The performance of these volunteers was a great indicator of the outstanding leadership present in our USD students. Their enthusiasm has empowered and motivated over 100 sophomores across the state who will hopefully take that energy to their homes, schools and communities," said Lonning.

The students and staff from USD, along with many other volunteers from SDSU and high schools across the state, arrived in Mitchell on Wednesday, June 6, to train and prepare for the four-day event. High school sophomores arrived Thursday, June 7.

The volunteers and high school students were divided into 11 groups that included one facilitator, one junior facilitator, and 9-11 high school students. These groups served as a focus for discussion and support throughout the seminar. The groups participated in many activities including panel discussions, team-building activities, group skits and reflection teams. On Saturday, June 9, the high school students got the chance to test their leadership skills by putting together lemonade stands all over Mitchell to collect donations for Alex's Lemonade Stand, a nonprofit organization that raises money for pediatric cancer research. Over $1,100 was collected. HOBY SD 2007 culminated on Sunday, June 10, with an awards banquet for the volunteers, the students and their parents.