Nat'l GU Conference, Youth Congress, and Stories

Ten GUALA members embarked on a mission to attend the 2013 National NCCEP/GEAR UP Conference in San Francisco, California, and help with the Youth Congress.  The Youth Congress consisted of about 74 GEAR UP high school students from across the country.  Greg and Justin, the Youth Congress leaders from GEAR UP for Excellence, asked the 10 GUALA members to serve as leaders for the Youth Congress and help facilitate activities.  We accepted this mission.

Not only did we accept this mission, we accepted it full of excitement and with no hesitation.  The young people in Youth Congress served as an inspiration to us, and a reminder of who we once were and who we hope to inspire by becoming leaders in our GEAR UP communities.  Getting to know the students and participating in activities with them was the highlight of the conference.

A great opportunity for us was to speak in front of all the conference attendees, including the youth, and tell our stories.  I hope that our words inspired the Youth Congress, and that some of them go home thinking, “I want to be a teacher, just like TNT.”  Or, “I want to be as funny as Daisy, and make people laugh for days.”  Each of us on stage had a unique story and a unique personality that I hope inspired someone in the audience. 

I could go on and on about every exciting moment (and I plan on journaling about it later), but the minute details still wouldn’t give a complete picture of our amazing experience.  Granted, nothing could top the week with all of the GUALA members in Washington DC, but it was a great week nonetheless.  Although spending time with 9 other GUALA members was so great, the other 20 were missed!  Perhaps a reunion will happen in the future ;)  Regardless of whether we meet again soon or not, a family has been built that will take GEAR UP by storm for the next year.  Even beyond the next year, the people who make up the 2013-14 GUALA family will continue to leave their mark on the world.  Each and every one of you inspires me, and I am grateful beyond measure to know you.