RYLARIANS Excite Us with Their Memories of Last Year

Their excitement was contagious as last year's RYLA candidates spoke of their experiences. Rachel Meyrink who is studying business at the University of Western Ontario said the leadership camp was a remarkable life changing experience. She now feels she can go after her dreams and take the necessary steps towards what she wants to do.

Emma Kamermans, a graduate of Mohawk College Interior Decorating is now studying Interior Design at Sheridan College. She thought the sessions were inspirational. The group of 40 young adults from Ontario and New York got up early, had breakfast and began various leadership sessions. She felt the training gave her more confidences and helped move her from a follower to a leader.

Derek Ingram is now a general labourer at a custom steel fabrication shop in Hamilton. He also helps train seeing eye dogs. He said he was the sensitive one in the group and he had the club in stitches with his subtle humour. Along with the leadership experiences he had, he was most pleased with the network of friends he made on the Fredonia University site of last year's Rotary Youth Leadership Awards program.

All three RYLArians said they did not know anything about Rotary before attending RYLA and that they would now be keeping an eye out for the Rotary logo and look into other Rotary experiences such as Rotaract.