Eightieth Edition, October 20, 2016
Featured Alumna: Michelle Kancheva '13
It was 2013 when I found myself starting my HOBY journey,
though I didn't know how much I would invest in it at that time. Everyone talks
about how their pivoting point for the weekend may have been an inspirational
speaker, one of the many activities that we as ambassadors did, or even simply
the junior staff that banged on our car doors and windows with enthusiasm. For
me, though, it was a little simpler than that. For me, it was just an encounter
with a then Junior Staffer.
It was 2013 when I found myself starting my HOBY journey,
though I didn't know how much I would invest in it at that time. Everyone talks
about how their pivoting point for the weekend may have been an inspirational
speaker, one of the many activities that we as ambassadors did, or even simply
the junior staff that banged on our car doors and windows with enthusiasm. For
me, though, it was a little simpler than that. For me, it was just an encounter
with a then Junior Staffer.
Though I don't remember much of the details of that
first of many encounters, I do remember how I felt after that first meeting
with Ben Lutz. One of the members of my group happened to come from his high
school, and she apparently knew him well. So he strolled on over and picked up a
conversation with her. Somehow, I got into the mix of it all, and though I
don't recall much of that now distant conversation, I do remember finally
feeling a sense of inclusion and purpose in this whole experience of HOBY. Skip
ahead to after the seminar and, as I was chanting all the cheers to myself that
I had learned and thinking about the magnificent weekend HOBY brought to me, I
started to ponder how I would manage to be selected to go back. As if he heard
my thoughts, I received a message at 7:47 PM on June 2nd of 2013 from the very
Ben Lutz himself reading, “Get your 100 hours and I'll help you with your
application in February!” And so my HOBY journey began.
With Ben's kindness, he
proofread my the essays I wrote and told me if I should revise more or not, and
I turned in an application that I was proud of and worked hard on. I heard back
soon after that I had been accepted as a Junior Staff member and, of course,
Ben was there to congratulate me. Through my years on Junior Staff, though Ben
hasn't had to hold my hand as much as during that initial application by any
stretch of the imagination, his presence has always been one of enthusiasm and
peace simultaneously.
Thanks to the confidence Ben helped instill in me for my
own abilities, my years at HOBY have always helped me grow as a person. My
confidence in myself allowed me to truly show my staff members who I am without
worry of ridicule, and it has allowed me to not only show my best work during
the seminars, but also grow impeccably close with my team members. With every
year that I have gone back to HOBY, my confidence has grown, and my friendships
have only gotten deeper, so I have much to thank HOBY and all of the people
involved for helping create the woman I am today. Through the people I've met,
the teams I have worked with, the speeches I've heard, and the ambassadors I
have seen, I, today, am proud to say that much of the servant leadership
knowledge and experience I have acquired has truly helped me give back to my
community. In my spare time now, which seems to become shorter and shorter as
the years wane on, I help raise guide dogs for veterans or blind citizens, and
I have helped found an organization to provide mentorship for at risk teens in
a local high school. I've even seen the impact of HOBY in my academic and
social spheres through my acceptances in elite honor societies to the wonderful
conversations I am able to have with professors and through the amazing people
that I have met and am able to call my friends.
Though daily tasks after a
weekend at HOBY may not seem as enthusiastic, I have found that by continuing
the spirit of HOBY in everyday life, doors that I had never imagined would even
be there for me to step through truly open. For that reason, I've made it my
life's goal to continue that very same kindness, patience, and joy that Ben
first showed to me to anyone around me willing to take my extended hand.
HOBY Info:
Georgia HOBY Store
- The store is now live! Shop to help support our future seminars and enjoy all the new designs to represent HOBY year-round!
- Here is the site! Enjoy: https://hoby.formstack.com/forms/hoby_ga_store
Amazon Smile
- If you shop at Amazon, then switch to Amazon Smile (https://smile.amazon.com/ch/94-2861279). It is the exact same website, but 0.5% of purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice.
- Choose HOBY Georgia (Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership) as your charity!
Social Networking!!!
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- Check out http://hobycheers.wikidot.com/list-of-hoby-cheers for awesome cheers
Hours
- Keep logging them! Can you accomplish the 100 Hour Challenge? Georgia HOBY knows that you can. Here is the place to do so: https://reg.hoby.org/HOBYL4S/login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fHOBYL4S%2f
- Need ideas for Volunteering projects? Email gahobyalumniadvisor@gmail.com, check the HOBY website: http://hoby.org, and/or research into what your community needs!
- How far has your Chain Reaction of Kindness reached?
This Blog
- If you would like post a "My Favorite HOBY Experience" in the future on this blog, then email gahobyfundraising@gmail.com also with your response!
- Be on the lookout for the next Newsletter or My Favorite HOBY Experience Post
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