JrNYLC: Alumni Boston (autobiography)

Tyler Viducic 3/5/09
Autobiography

How many people can say that they have gone to Boston without parents, just hundreds of other kids, for a week? I had this amazing opportunity at JrNYLC: Alumni Boston. JrNYLC stands for Junior National Youth Leadership Conference. JrNYLC is a program that teaches young leaders the skills to become better leaders. There are two JrNYLC conferences. JrNYLC, which is in Washington D.C, and JrNYLC Alumni Boston, which is for people who have already attended the Washington D.C conference. Boston, to me, was way more fun and I learned way more. I met some truly amazing people, who I still am in contact with, I learned some great leadership skills that I use often, and I saw some historic sites. It was the greatest weeks in my life.

It all starts in Washington. To go to these conferences, you have to be nominated by a teacher. I was nominated by Mrs. Tompkins, a music teacher in Veterans Memorial Elementary School. The first time you go, it is scary at first. I was in sixth grade, and it was my first time away from my parents. However, in as little as three hours, I was happier than I had ever been in my life. Washington’s main focus was leadership needed to be in the government. We visited places like the Capital building, the Vietnam War Memorial, and Arlington Nation Cemetery. However, the best part of Washington was not what I did, but whom I met.

In Washington D.C, I met my best friend, Parker. He lives in Georgia, but yet we are very close. This relationship shows what JrNYLC can do. He now comes to my house every summer and he is considered part of my family. It is a funny story of how I met him. For one of our day trips, we were both very late to our bus because we both overslept. Being the last ones, we had to sit in the same seat. So, the following summer, we were both invited to JrNYLC: Alumni Boston. He came to my house for a week and then we headed up to Boston.

Boston was the greatest time of my life. Boston’s main focus was on history, and the leadership skills needed to free our country from the English rule. It was the most fun time I have ever had. From randomly singing in the dining room, to axe bombs, to lactose intolerant Parker drinking milk. It was a six-day trip and every day was amazing. I can recall every day perfectly.

On the first day, you arrive. For this trip we were at the Sheraton Colonial Hotel. For the first day, every thing is semi-formal. The kids all must wear tan pants and white oxford shirts. I remember as I walked into the hotel, I was very nervous. None of my friends besides Parker were going to this particular trip. Parker and I were both assigned to different groups. But, I soon forgot about him as I met new people. Again, my friends from Boston do not live anywhere near me. One lives in Florida, the other in Washington state, and still others in Texas and Hawaii. Also, on the first day you get your roommates.

I walked into my room and I see two guys and two beds, and by beds I mean a king and a blow up mattress. It was possibly the scariest moment of my life. As it turns out, the hotel ran out of queen-bed-rooms and had to give us a king. So, rather than sleeping with another guy, we had to go through a whole ordeal and get a different room. It worked out all right though.

Day two was a trip to the Plimoth Plantation. There, we learned about the lives of both Wampanoag Native Americans and the Colonists who settled there. We visited the actual Plimoth Rock, which is actually quite small and disappointing. On the trip we learned about Teambuilding, a vital skill that if the Colonists had not possessed it they would have died. Also, when we returned we had what the group leaders called a social event. What it really was a party. Loud music and dirty dancing. Who knew the future leaders of America could throw a cool party?

On the third day, we went to the town of Salem, where they held the Salem witch trials. We visited the Salem witch museum and learned about the horrible events that occurred. That day we learned of tolerance. If the people of Salem had possessed tolerance, the massacre might not have occurred. We also learned of stereotyping, and how the young women of Salem were stereotyped, which ultimately led to their deaths.

Day four was a trip to Boston. We went all over and looked at a whole bunch of historic sights like Lexington and Concord, the Freedom trail, and the Boston courthouse. Also, in JrNYLC tradition, we went to Hard Rock Café for nice meal. It was a sad event though, because it meant that it was the last day in Boston for us, as we would spend the next two days elsewhere. It was a day where people got to socialize a lot. I met some people who are to this day great friends in Boston.

The fifth day was possibly the greatest day of my life. We slept on the U.S.S Massachusetts. The U.S.S Massachusetts is a retired WWII battleship. It is a once-in-a-lifetime event. It was so much fun. We didn’t learn that day, there were no rules, and it was just five hundred kids on a battle ship. We went on a tour of the boat, front to back, bottom to top, which was awesome. We were allowed inside the twenty-inch guns, and we were allowed to turn them, which was a pretty cool experience. But the best part was sleeping in the bunks. I do not know how they expect a bunch of 14 year old boys to go to bed after a day on the a battleship, especially at only 10:00. So, we goofed off and screwed with the guy trying to keep us quiet.

Finally, the sixth day. The sixth day was an emotional day. It involved saying goodbye to some amazing friends and some wonderful memories. We heard some speeches by some people we did not know, and they didn’t make an impact. But then some of our peers made speeches. They were the people who most accurately displayed out feeling, and they were the ones who inspired us to lead more.

We arrived back at the hotel heavy hearted. I met a few people who made an impact on my life. Every one exchanged phone numbers with promises to call each other. Tears were shed, and there was a lot of hugging. I walked to my car, bags in hand, and left the greatest week of my life behind me.