What is HOBY? Only the most outstanding weekend of your life! Really though, HOBY stands for the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership Conference. Every year in each state, high schools nominate the best and brightest of their sophomore class to attend HOBY for a weekend at the end of the school year.
On the way to HOBY, saying I was nervous would be an understatement. Like the human Chihuahua I am, I made my parents stop at each McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts that lined the highway to let me pee from all the nerves. Let’s just say the thirty minute drive took a lot longer than expected.
To make matters worse, I walked into the room where everyone was chanting, cheering, and screaming at the top of their lungs. And I just stood there…petrified and wondering “What the heck did I get myself into?” I quickly assessed the exits and realized I was trapped. However, it wasn’t long before I was chanting and cheering along with everyone else, welcoming each new soul as terrified as I first was.
If you’re like me, HOBY changed your life. Some changes were larger, while others were smaller. And with these changes comes certain quirks. Here’s a list of six signs that you attended HOBY.
1. Outstanding is an integral part of your vocabulary
If you retain nothing else from your time at HOBY, the one thing you will never forget is the excessive use of the word ‘outstanding’ with the hand sign to match. That speaker? Outstanding! That game? Outstanding! That mediocre luke-warm dining hall food? Outstanding!
2. Volunteering isn’t just a hobby, it’s a way of life
From soup kitchens to breast cancer walks, HOBY attendants have done it all. Each attendant brings a set of unique volunteer experiences, and is ready to help out with all other volunteer opportunities in any way possible. It’s no wonder HOBY attendees wrack up volunteer hours like nobody’s business.
3. You have a Social Justice Agenda, and all your friends are sick of hearing it
You aren’t a true HOBY attendee without deep-set passion about a particular issue. I met a girl who was crazy about traveling and wanted to help people abroad. Another attendee spoke with fervor about LGBTQ rights and equality. My particular cause was feminism and community volunteerism. Each person’s niche fits into an inter-connected web of social justice issues that enlightens the rest of the community about the various issues plaguing our society.
4. You are eternally optimistic
Just like Barbara Streisand in "Funny Girl", nothing can rain on your parade! No matter what happens, HOBY attendants have an optimism that never ends. Come rain or shine, HOBY attendees see the bright side of every situation.
5. You’re able to function on less than 4 hours of sleep a night
It’s not HOBY without staying up late to go to night events and even later talking to your roommate. However, you know that bright and early you’ll be up once again to the lovely sound of your j-staff screaming cheers at your door. This sleep deprived daze leads to quick friendships in sleepy solidarity. It also leads to an introductory course into the life of a college student.
6. You have the ability to out-cheer the loudest cheerleader
HOBY preps the best camp counselors, arming them with enough cheers to last a lifetime. Every break is a mix from “I said a boom chicka boom boom” to “I’m alive awake alert enthusiastic!” By the end of the weekend, your throat will hurt and your lungs will be exhausted, but you know you’ll chant until the day your mouth is sewn shut.
More than anything else, you know how quickly your life can change. You can share stories, but you can’t share the feelings you have after HOBY. HOBY is an experience of a lifetime. It gives you a network that will always support you and all your volunteering endeavors. Throughout all your years you’ll always remember all the laughs you had, the lessons you learned, and the friends you made. Thanks HOBY for changing my life. Now it’s my turn to change the lives of others too.
