The National Youth Leadership Conference (NYLC) is one of the most rewarding and unique events the NJSA puts on. As a retiring Junior Board member, this was my last NYLC, which might have made it the most unique, for me. Knowing my reign as a Junior Board member is close to an end helped me appreciate and take in more than I have at any other NYLC.

The unique aspect of the conference is that we did not talk about showing livestock once. NYLC focuses on leadership and the characteristics of being a good leader. I’m sure every person has a different set of criteria when it comes to making a great leader, and the conference will definitely help you narrow these attributes down to help develop you as a leader. Becoming a leader is not something you can be given; it is something that you earn by showing others what it takes.

If I had to give an example of someone who has been a role model and has shown me what it takes to be a leader, it would be Dr. Brett Kaysen, dairy production specialist for Zoetis. Two years ago when I was running for the Junior Board, I was driving to West Lafayette, Indiana. On the way, I got a call from my oldest brother, David, and he told me there was someone I needed to meet. It was Dr. Kaysen. At the time, I was almost too shy to be able to just walk up to someone like Dr. Kaysen, but I finally got the courage to introduce myself. Since that day, I have looked up to him as a mentor, and I am glad to say I can call him my friend. It is connections like this and the opportunities I have gotten through the NJSA and NYLC that have helped me develop into the person I am today. If anyone ever came up to me and asked if it was worth it to make the trip to the NYLC, I could only reply it would be a mistake not to.