testimony tuesday

Every Tuesday I'm going to try to post a couple of short testimonies from Georgia HOBY alumni or volunteers. This organization has influenced the lives of so many students and professionals across Georgia, and through personal stories like these, any reader can sense the impact of HOBY.

"I moved from California in the beginning of 10th grade, and HOBY really brought me out of my shell. Now after 5 years I'm still happily involved in GA HOBY and have met several of my best friends through the program. I am a Business major at the University of Georgia with the intention of facilitating team building and leadership training on a corporate level once I graduate. I can very confidently say that Hugh O Brian Youth Leadership changed my life." 

-Adetinpo Thomas
Student at the University of Georgia

"I wish I could put down on paper what HOBY means to me, but I never have been able to, and I know I never will. I have made lifelong friends, and I have been given opportunities that I would have never dreamed possible. Most important, though, my experience and years with HOBY has given me confidence. I went from an awkward, self-conscious teenage girl to the significantly less awkward, self-assured young woman I am today. I have been given the confidence to walk into any situation head-on, knowing that I can handle whatever comes my way. I have a burning desire to motivate other students who are in the same place I was years ago. If I could accomplish only one thing with my time at HOBY from now on, it would be to give every 16-year-old I meet the courage not to be someone else. I feel that at that point in my life, being myself was the hardest thing imaginable. I didn’t even know who I was. HOBY helped me figure it out, and it made me realize that who I am is enough. After I got that part down, it made everything else so much easier. I became a better leader, and I became better at motivating others to accomplish what I had done. Yes, HOBY is about leadership, but its secret weapon is the confidence it instills in every young person who goes through the program. This confidence is what makes these students the leaders of the future."
-Heidi Barrs
Student at the University of Georgia

Do you have a HOBY testimony that you would like to share? Email it to gahobyfundraising@gmail.com.