NYLF Alumnus Dreams of a Career in Law

As an alumnus of the fall 2006 National Youth Leadership Forum on Law, Joshua Lastine has already set himself on the path toward doing great things in the field of law. Joshua is currently a junior at the University of Northern Iowa, majoring in Economics with a minor in English Literature. His desire to take on leadership roles in college has lead him to become the President of the UNI Pre-Law Club, serve as a representative to the College of Business President’s Council, hold various leadership positions within the Student Admission Ambassador Organization and become a vital member and programming planner for the Economics Club. Through his involvement with Student Admission Ambassadors, he has been able to share his knowledge of the campus and love of his school with prospective students by giving tours and being an ambassador.

Joshua’s accomplishments also extend to the classroom, as he has made the Dean’s List for four semesters and received various university scholarships. Just this past month, he submitted a paper to the Lawrence Jepson International Economic Essay Contest and received second place with his entry entitled International Overpopulation and Economic Policy. As Joshua approaches his senior year he is focusing on law school and has begun the rigorous preparation for the LSAT. He doesn’t yet know where he would like to attend law school, but is interested in entertainment and sports law and will be looking at schools with strong programs in intellectual properties law.

Joshua credits the Forum on Law for helping him to realize his full potential as a student leader, while also giving him the necessary tools to succeed in college. One of his fondest memories from the Forum was visiting Georgetown Law School and sitting in on one of the live classes. We wish Joshua the best of luck in his future as he pursues what is sure to be a successful career in the field of law!

A Passion for Citizen Service

Passionate. Idealistic. Energetic. Enthusiastic. Committed. Democratic. American. These are the seven words that National Youth Leadership Forum (NYLF) alumnus Chris Golden recently chose to describe himself. Chris is currently on track to complete his undergraduate interdisciplinary studies degree (Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics & Government)in three years at American University in Washington, D.C. Since arriving in D.C., he has served in multiple campus leadership positions, interned with Congressman Joe Courtney (D-CT) on Capitol Hill, and was chosen as one of only 100 Young Leaders to attend the 2008 ServiceNation Summit. Chris and his friend, Nick Troiano, left the Summit feeling inspired and employed their passions for service and new technology by co-founding the non-profit organization,myImpact.org.


The mission of myImpact.org is to use social media to advance the cause of citizen service by developing new tools for volunteers and service organizations that measure and demonstrate their impact. Recent recipients of a Pepsi Refresh Project grant, the creators of myImpact.org are currently developing the first in a series of social media applications to advance their mission and goals. By using myImpact.org to answer the simple question "What Is Your Impact?" volunteers will be able to share their experience, connect with others and inspire their peers to get involved.

Hoping to instill his passion for citizen service in other young people, Chris began presenting workshops on "Volunteering in the Age of Facebook, YouTube and Twitter" at the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) in late 2009. Chris enjoys immensely the interaction he gets to have with NYLC scholars following each presentation, especially because he recognizes that he is just a few years removed from being in their same position. He is continually inspired by our scholars' examples of giving back to their communities.

To Chris, service is the power of the individual: one person making a difference, contributing in a small way to solving a large problem. Chris exemplifies this every day!

Sharing the Gift of Leadership

Haley Lickstein, an exceptional alumna of the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC), found a unique and inspiring way to share her gift of leadership with others. While studying for her Bat Mitzvah, Haley decided to work on mitzvah projects that relate to important values in her life. After attending JrNYLC, she realized that there were so many other young leaders across the country that shared her interest in government and desire to serve as an effective community leader. After taking some time to reflect on how lucky she is that her parents can afford opportunities for her like JrNYLC, she decided that she could help make a difference for someone less fortunate. In conjunction with Girl Future, a non-profit organization focusing on leadership development for girls, Haley raised enough charitable donations for full tuition, transportation and a spending allowance for another girl with leadership potential interested in attending JrNYLC. Girl Future will then select a deserving scholarship recipient from among the JrNYLC candidates.

Haley wants to be a politician when she grows up and has fostered her love for politics by volunteering for two of Florida’s State Senators’ offices to gain some real political world perspective. She even had the opportunity to meet President Clinton earlier this year! Haley also serves on the board at Girl Future, where their new web site is dedicated to developing self-esteem and emotional maturity for young women. She has officially put her political career in action by running a successful student government campaign at her school where she serves as treasurer.

During her time at JrNYLC, Haley thoroughly enjoyed being surrounded by scholars from all over the country with an interest in politics just like her. One of the most important aspects she took from her experience was to be persistent when trying to make a point. She now feels she has the confidence to become an effective leader in her community, and is so glad to be able to help somebody else share in the experience.

Do you have any feedback or comments on Haley's accomplishments? Please comment below.

Young Leader Gets Involved

Taylor Clark attended the National Young Scholars Program (NYSP) in the summer of 2009 and has been applying her newfound leadership skills since returning home. Other than making great new friends at the Program, Taylor’s favorite experience was learning to take responsibility for herself. She said that this was her first experience with real independence and she was proud of how she handled the little things, such as keeping her room neat and how well she and her roommates at the Program were able to get along. Taylor learned a lot about leadership, but the two most valuable pieces she took from NYSP were that you have to listen to others’ ideas and also that great leaders share responsibility with others. Working in teams taught Taylor a valuable lesson about which she shared, “great minds working together can accomplish so much more than one person can alone.”

Since returning home, Taylor’s mom notes that she is much more inquisitive and has begun thinking more critically. “She asks so many more questions; some of which I don’t have the answer to, but she takes pride in researching her inquiry and finding the answer.” When asked how Taylor has grown since attending NYSP, Taylor’s mom stated that “she developed a more mature responsibility in taking care of herself since attending the Program. I don’t have to remind her to do things that seemed to come naturally. She’s much more independent.”

At school, Taylor is a member of the Peace Club, the co-ed Cheer Squad and will participate in Girls on the Go in the spring. She also takes ballet, tap, jazz, tumbling and performing arts. In addition, Taylor has assumed a leadership role by becoming one of the founding members of the Peace Club at her school. The group was started as a result of the ongoing violence in Chicago, most notably toward the city’s youth. The students involved are working on positive ways to avoid violence and resolve conflict peacefully in their schools and communities.

Taylor's mom reflects that, “Taylor truly enjoyed her time at NYSP. It has been amazing to see her growth and maturity expand from a one week experience.”

Bringing Leadership Back to the Community

Kelsey Reid attended the National Young Leaders Conference in July of 2009. Upon returning home, Kelsey has used the skills she learned at NYLC to take on greater leadership opportunities in her community. For instance, she has become Co-Chair of Children First, an organization that works to create a positive community for youth. Through this position, she’s been able to collaborate with business, religious, education, and other community leaders. Next year, she plans to hold an editorial position on her school’s award winning newspaper, for which she is a staff writer this year.

In Kelsey’s words, “The greatest thing I gained from attending NYLC was confidence. In many ways, NYLC challenged and reaffirmed my political beliefs. I now have more confidence to defend my views and work to implement them into reality. Whatever career I eventually choose, NYLC reaffirmed my desire to be an informed and active world citizen.”

Conference Skills Helping in the Classroom

Alex Conte attended the Junior National Young Leaders Conference (JrNYLC) in the spring of 2009. Although he is from the Washington, D.C. area, Alex was able to gain new information and a new outlook on his local area by taking part in the excursions to the local landmarks and museums during the Conference.

Alex was selected to make a speech on the last night of the Conference. Even though he was nervous delivering his speech in front of a large group, he did an excellent job and gained a once-in-a-lifetime experience while boosting his confidence in public speaking. Upon further reflection on his time at the Conference, Alex said that he learned how to work better with others, treat them with more respect and to listen to their opinions.

On his first report card this year, he received straight A’s and consistent comments from his teachers about how well he participates in class and shows initiative. Alex’s mom was surprised to receive an unexpected phone call from his science teacher, letting her know how helpful he has been in class with students who don’t understand the material as well. In addition to excelling in the classroom, Alex loves to play sports including baseball, soccer and basketball, and continues to work with younger and less experienced members of his teams.

Comment below to congratulate Alex on his achievements as a young leader and share your advice on how he can continue to use his leadership skills in the future.

CYLC's Youngest Entrepreneurs

Chase Conley and Luke Morgan are not your typical 8^th grade students. Not only have both young men attended three CYLC leadership programs but they are also partners in their own business, DemonHotSauce.com!

Chase and Luke exemplify the CYLC mindset of striving to be young leaders in all that they do. They have taken what they have learned about the leadership trait of goal setting and used it to set and achieve their own unique goal of starting their own hot sauce business. Each boy brings his own expertise to the business, and they are even donating part of their profits to help their local community. Read their interview below to learn about true teamwork at a young age.

Interview:

What inspired you to start your own business?
Luke: My stepdad would make West India hot sauce at home, as he’s West Indian. The West Indian culture is to not only make the sauce hot, but also flavorful, no recipe involved. I thought it would be a great product to make and sell. When I realized how much work was involved in starting my own business, I asked my friend from school, Chase, to help. I knew Chase was really organized and would be a big asset to the business.

Have you always been fans of hot sauce?
Luke: I’ve always loved it and eat it on everything.
Chase: I didn’t like it when I was younger, but my tastes have changed since I’ve been older and I like it now.

Tell me about your web site. Did you do the design yourselves? How often do you update it? Do you get many people contacting you through your site?
Chase: We originally tried to do it ourselves and partly designed it, and then went to Go-Daddy for a template to actually use.
Both: We try to update it frequently but not as often as we’d like. People ask us questions about the product or their orders.

What skills have you gained from attending the leadership conferences that have been beneficial to you in starting your own business?
Luke: One of the main things we learned was goal setting. You need to be able to set goals to achieve them when starting a business.
Chase: I agree – goal setting.

I see from your web site that you donate 10% of your profits to a local charity. Which charity did you choose and why?
Luke: We haven’t yet chosen a charity; we’re waiting until the end of the year when we know our actual profits. We definitely want to keep it local – keep the impact of our work local.
Both: We have been talking about using the profits to help with a service project we’re doing at school, planting trees in the Wilmington area to improve the air quality and beauty.

What is your favorite moment from the programs you’ve attended?
Chase: I loved the Junior Alumni Boston program – Boston is a great city.
Luke: The inauguration was inspiring, but I agree about Boston.

Do you have any ideas for future businesses?
Luke: Not right now, but I have the type of mind that is always thinking about lots of businesses. No plans to move to another genre.

What have you learned from the experience of starting your own business?
Chase: Sometimes you’ll have no orders and then get a ton of orders. You can’t get down when there’s nothing happening or super excited when you have a lot of orders. Luke: You can’t wait for people to come to you. You need to have a compelling story AND a quality product. Make it so people WANT to come to you.

What advice do you have for other young entrepreneurs wanting to start a business of their own?
Chase: Plan, plan, plan. You need to establish a plan, and then be flexible as things change. You may not always sell as much as you’d like when you like, so you need to be flexible in your plan.
Luke: If you are going to run a business, you need to do it about something you are passionate about. It’s a LOT of work. If you’re not passionate about it, it will become a drag. My favorite saying is: Do what you love and love what you do!

Bringing Leadership to Life

After initially thinking that he was going to pursue a career in government or public policy, NYLC alumnus Shaun Kupferberg realized that he could apply the leadership skills he developed at NYLC in any profession. According to Shaun, leadership “can take many forms” and people lead “quietly, vocally, with humility, and with exuberance.” As a result Shaun now has his dream job running the volleyball program at Jacksonville University in Florida.

Shaun attended NYLC in 1995 and said that the experience was so influential, he still recalls almost every moment of his time in Washington, D.C. He credits the strong learning environment with humanizing, for him, the power of government, and for strengthening his skills in debate, leadership, and public speaking.

However, for Shaun, his greatest memory of NYLC is of meeting his wife Erin. Erin was in his small meeting group, and when they returned home, they stayed close by writing letters, and eventually e-mails. The couple was married college graduation, five years after meeting at NYLC. Shaun and Erin have been married for nine years, and live in Jacksonville, Florida with their two children, Payton (2) and Kyle (5 months).

Alumni Spotlight - Criss Salinas

Criss Salinas attended the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) in the spring of 2004. This high-achieving scholar from Schuyler, Nebraska is a senior at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, NE (UNK) and is currently applying for graduate school to obtain a masters degree in Spanish Literature. Criss credits NYLC with giving him the opportunity to dream big and to aspire to be the best of the best.

This past summer, Criss was one of only 24 undergraduate students in the nation selected to participate in the Congressional Hispanic Congress Institute (CHCI) Internship Program in Washington, D.C. During his eight weeks in Washington, Criss gained work experience, participated in a community service project and received educational and professional instruction provided by CHCI. Criss has been active in community service while at college, mentoring students at Bryant Elementary School through his membership with Sigma Lambda Beta. He was awarded the UNK Multicultural Community Service Scholarship two years in a row for his leadership in multicultural school and community activities. Criss also served as the chair of the seventh annual Nebraska Cultural Unity Conference (NCUC) and as Director of Student Organizations with Student Government.

We appreciate Criss's service. Congratulations and best wishes for a successful future!

Alumni Spotlight - Grace Lessard

Leadership in Action

This month we are focusing our spotlight on a recent alumna, Miss Grace Lessard. Grace is currently a junior at Natick High School in Natick, Massachusetts. She was nominated to attend the National Young Leaders Conference (NYLC) by her school guidance counselor and traveled to Washington, D.C. for the first time this past March.

This summer, Grace spoke to a group of young leaders about her experience at NYLC. Her presentation showcased her poise, maturity and leadership as she shared her experiences and observations. During her speech, she motivated the group by stating: "As students sitting here, you have been chosen because there is someone, whether it is a teacher, a guidance counselor or a coach, who believes that you have the potential to recognize yourself as a leader. Being at NYLC was a life-changing experience for me, and no matter what specific events you encounter here, I want each of you to believe in yourself too."

Grace attributes overcoming her fear of public speaking to her experiences during the NYLC simulations. Using her newly obtained leadership skills from NYLC, Grace lead by example and was awarded the Spirit Award from her school choir. Grace hopes to continue to inspire others in school this fall and beyond.

Congratulate Grace on her incredible achievements as a young leader and share your advice on how she can continue to use her leadership skills in the future.