Learning to lead

Seventh-grader attends Washington conference

By: Candice Leigh Helfand
   A 12-year-old Kendall Park resident got the chance to experience Washington, D.C., in a way most political science majors can only dream of.
   Kelly O’Brien, a seventh-grader at Crossroads South Middle School, attended the Junior National Young Leaders Conference, early last month.
   She described it as "the experience of a lifetime."
   The aim of the conference is to inspire students to recognize their own leadership skills, measure their skills against those of current and former leaders, and return home with new-found confidence in their ability to exercise positive influence within their communities, according to its press release.
   Kelly was invited to take part in the six-day program after her teacher, Beth Barrio-Dekok, nominated her to go.
   Kelly and the other children in the program were certainly kept busy.
   "We did different things every day. We went to different monuments and memorials, and we went to the White House to take pictures," Kelly said. "We also went inside the Capitol building and talked to five of the congressional panel members."
   Police Sgt. Pat O’Brien, her proud father, said this was the first time she had ever been away from home on her own.
   "From talking to her every day, it seemed like the trip was more historical, with visiting the sites and all," Sgt. O’Brien said. "But they also focused a lot on the leadership aspect."
   And focus on leadership they did.
   The students were organized by the six traits of leadership defined by the organization —character, communication, goal setting, problem solving, respect and teamwork.
   Kelly was in the goal setting group.
   "We met in our leadership focus groups about three, maybe four times per day," Kelly said. "We talked about the traits of being a leader, and how to be a leader, as well as leaders in the world around us, and how they’ve changed the world."
   Her group also took part in projects that focused on learning about past leaders, such as Woodrow Wilson, Susan B. Anthony, and Henry Ford.
   In a letter to the editor that appeared in the Sept. 15 edition of the South Brunswick Post, Kelly said the cost of the program was $1,800. To help, she mailed 96 letters to local business and organizations, asking for help with cost of trip.
   Ultimately, the VFW Post 9111, Pierre’s Bakery, Bandito’s, PBA Local 166, Doctors of Dental Medicine, Brunswick Urgent Care, FOP Lodge 51, and one anonymous sponsor contributed to the cost.
   "We probably got about 80 percent of it covered, all told," said Sgt. O’Brien.
   "One of my friends wasn’t able to go because it was so expensive," Kelly added.
   Family ties helped in the fundraising effort as well.
   "I’m a police officer in town (South Brunswick), so my police union subsidized a large portion of it," Sgt. O’Brien said. "My union really stepped up and did a good job."
   Several parts of the trip stood out to Kelly.
   "I liked going inside the Lincoln Memorial, because he was so big," she said.
   She also said that a trip to Harper’s Valley, W.Va., was a lot of fun, and West Virginia was very educational.
   She also enjoyed Washington, D.C.
   "It was a nice area, very calm; it wasn’t really like a city, so that was cool," she said.
   But in the end, it was all about the education she received from such a hands-on experience, an education that she will get to use in the years to come.
   "It helped her have a better understanding of the United States than I ever had," Sgt. O’Brien said. "She was there, and she got to see it all."