YLOK Class XII: In The Beginning

There is nothing cooler than sitting in a room of people exclusively composed of "the best." These people are not CEOs, they aren't self-made millionaires, they aren't professional athletes, they aren't even high school graduates... yet. Who am I talking about? I'm glad you asked.

This is Youth Leadership Oklahoma Class XII, and the 50+ high school seniors on this trip are the best that Oklahoma has to offer. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you: The Future.

Dramatic intro? Maybe. Necessary? Absolutely. Parents, friends, grandparents, friends of grandparents and parents and everyone else, welcome to your portal to the experience that the young men and women of YLOK have already begun. My name is Bryce Rowland. I am from the great land of Duncan, Oklahoma, home of the Demons. I just finished my sophomore year at the University of Oklahoma as an International Studies and Business student, and I now proudly call Norman my home year-round. I am working as the Americorps intern for Leadership Oklahoma (specifically, Youth Leadership Oklahoma), a non-profit organization formed in 1986 that brings together Oklahoma's top leaders to advance our state even further. Learn more here. I have the best job in the world, not only because the staff at Leadership Oklahoma is a wonderful unit, but also because I get to witness the transformation of the state's very best high school students from mere inhabitants of the state into active citizens of the state. That's enough about me though.

Now for the ones that we're all here to talk about: Class XII themselves.

We began our first day together at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art in downtown OKC.

After a smooth check-in, everyone (parents included of course) gathered in the theatre to hear testimonies, presentations, and expectations from President & CEO of Jordan Associates & Chair of Leadership Oklahoma, Rhonda Hooper, former YLOK students Andy Stewart and Jennifer Nunez of Class XI, and YLOK director Lee Anne Stone. Students then said adios to their folks and did a small amount of mingling amongst themselves.





Next, everyone gathered in a circle as we introduced ourselves and learned odd facts about each other ("I really, really love Justin Beiber... but like, not in a weird creepy way... I think.").

Afterwards, we all got to see the beautiful work of Dale Chihuly and other artists on the third floor gallery of the museum. After that, we had a fantastic baked ziti dinner at the Museum Cafe, followed by a fantastic game of the U-Zoo facilitated by the University of Oklahoma Director of Student Life, Kristen Partridge. In this activity, each student did a short assessment that categorized them into four different "leadership styles." These include lion, porpoise, koala, and eagle. I am personally a tie between lion and porpoise. Lions are dominant and decisive, while porpoises just want everyone to have a great time, so I'd say I balance myself out! We all got quite a few good laughs out of this activity while still learning new things about the kind of leaders we are as individuals.

Finally, we loaded up our things onto the charter bus and headed a few blocks east to the Hampton Inn & Suites at Bricktown. I'm not sure what special things they put in the food at dinner, but something immediately clicked with this group and I found every single one of them all in a circle playing games in a conference room when I came downstairs from my room after we had checked in. They had plenty of options for their free time, but seeing them all immediately bonding and playing games like "Never Have I Ever" while simultaneously blasting music from an iHome made me realize that this is one very, very special group of people. One more compliment: ten minutes before curfew, without me or any of the chaperones saying a word to them, they filed out of the conference room and went straight to their rooms. Who raised these people?? I am blown away. Good job parents.

I am thrilled to be on this trip and to see what comes of it for each and every one of the students. I can't wait to personally invest in their lives, and I REALLY can't wait to see how they enrich mine. Our adventure continues tomorrow morning at Team Quest Challenge Course (ropes course) in Norman. Stay tuned!

-Bryce

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