Morgan Park Academy Juniors Shine At Leaderhsip Conference

CHICAGO — Six rising juniors at Morgan Park Academy were among a select group of students chosen for the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference (HOBY), one of the nation’s premiere leadership conferences.

Annabella Arevalos, Karen Chen, Diego Hermosilla, Grant Ring, and Justin Tyson participated in the HOBY Illinois North leadership conference at Loyola University Chicago from June 7-9, while classmate Varun Paluri also was selected but was unable to attend.

HOBY seminars bring students together across different backgrounds, cultures, and communities, and help students discover a newfound sense of awareness, confidence, connection, and purpose.

MPA students participated in facilitated dialogue and abilities-based workshops to develop awareness of their leadership strengths and an understanding of their leadership values. Through these dynamic activities with their peers, they honed their skills and learned to recognize, amplify, and collaborate with the diverse strengths of others.

“We are tremendously proud of these students for being chosen as HOBY ambassadors,” Morgan Park Academy college counselor Em Joseph said. “A core part of our school mission is preparing global leaders to make a positive difference in the world, and participating in a HOBY seminar helps unlock that for students.

“I’ve also found that when a college admission office sees a student participating in HOBY, it's a huge deal in the application review process. This will have a big impact for our students.”
These 2024 participants are the latest of many students that Morgan Park Academy has had selected for HOBY conferences in recent years.

“I learned a lot about how to be a leader while also being myself,” said Diego, a rising junior from Woodlawn. “At HOBY, I got to test my leadership abilities and make long-term friendships. I also learned a lot about myself and my own leadership style, which I think will help me in bettering my own communities and social groups.”

Serving students from prekindergarten through grade 12, Morgan Park Academy is an independent college preparatory school founded in 1873 that annually ranks among the top private schools in the state and first among all schools in Chicago’s Southland area.

Families are invited to visit morganparkacademy.org or call 773-881-6700 to learn more about MPA's programs and mission to engage the whole child, inspire the independent learner, and prepare the global leader of tomorrow to make a positive difference in the world.