The North Carolina West HOBY Leadership Seminar is a 3-day leadership program for approximately 120 rising high school juniors held each June in Winston-Salem. HOBY Ambassadors have an opportunity to develop their critical thinking skills, learn about their personal leadership styles, and form an appreciation for community service. They attend panel sessions featuring prominent speakers from our government, businesses, media, and educational communities. They participate in leadership development workshops and activities. HOBY Ambassadors also participate in a community service project and learn how they can lead in service in their own communities. As a result of their experiences, the high school Ambassadors return to their schools and communities eager to make a difference and share what they have learned.
Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership (HOBY) is an organization dedicated to “training and nurturing the young leaders of tomorrow.” Its mission is to provide lifelong leadership development opportunities that empower youth to achieve their highest potential.
Alumni Testimonials
- “HOBY – as an ambassador, junior staff, and facilitator – has been an incredible experience for me, and I’m excited and grateful to be involved in the program again. I want to help pass that same life-long enthusiasm on to future ambassadors. And I think I have just as much to learn from the students as they do from me. “
- “HOBY taught me that there is not a certain age or occupation needed to change the world, I can do that every day.”
- “I attended HOBY NC WEST last summer and it was the highlight of my summer. I was taught how easy it is to take a stance and to stick up for what I believe in.”
- “During my weekend at HOBY NC West, I learned how to step outside of my comfort zone and truly be myself. The HOBY atmosphere allowed me to figure out who I am and what I can do to be a leader.”
- “The acceptance and spirit that HOBY gives is one of the greatest gifts I have ever received. There is not a day that goes by that I do not think of HOBY.”
- “Over the weekend spent at Wake Forest, I learned about what it meant to be a leader in small and large situations, and what qualities a leader has. HOBY changed my outlook on life and who I am as a person.”
