By Khalida Sarwari
Prospect High School student Paige Brodrick was recently selected to participate in a three-day leadership seminar in Atherton.
Paige, 16, of Saratoga, was one of 150 students chosen statewide to attend the Northern California Youth Leadership Seminar, which inspires community responsibility in high school sophomores and helps them develop leadership potential and cultivate communication, team-building and goal-setting skills. She was nominated by Prospect Associated Student Body activities director Megan Ames.
“It was actually really fun,” Paige said. “I kind of went there scared. I didn’t know what it was going to be like. It turned out to be a really fun experience.”
The selection for the seminar, which took place June 14 to 16 at Menlo College, is prestigious, as it is limited to only one student per school. Students are chosen based on demonstrated leadership abilities or potential.
Over the course of the three days, Paige and her team had an opportunity to meet with nonprofit workers, government officials and leaders in the business community to ask them questions and discuss issues ranging from the environment to the future of education.
The conference also featured motivational speakers and various leadership exercises. For example, Scott Backovich, a professional youth inspirational speaker and assembly presenter, talked to the students about making a difference as a leader in the community.
One activity the students participated in regularly was cheering to get them pumped up, Paige said. Another highlight was “secret support,” where the students anonymously wrote a problem they had on a piece of paper and then passed it on to other students, who responded with advice. For many, it was an opportunity to discuss problems they hadn’t talked about, even with their own friends.
“A lot of people said it was life-changing for them,” she said. “Everyone was super supportive. It was just a really happy environment.”
The best part of the experience, said Paige, was meeting the other students. Some of them became so close over the weekend that they exchanged phone numbers and connected on Facebook afterward, promising to stay in touch, she said.
At school, Paige has been an ASB rally board representative for the past two years, helping plan dances, rallies, blood drives and spirit week activities. She said she plans to continue serving in that role in her junior year. She is also involved in swimming and cross country and is a member of the California Scholarship Federation as well as the American Red Cross club.
She called being involved in her community an uplifting experience.
“We kind of are the future,” said Paige. “We’re going to be running these things later on and it’s really good to volunteer and help your community. You benefit from it as well as your whole community and everyone who lives in it.”
