Nazareth Students Chosen For Leadership Conference

LA GRANGE PARK, IL — La Grange Park's Nazareth Academy is sending representatives to one of 70 Hugh O’Brian Youth, or HOBY, Leadership Seminars to recognize their leadership talents and apply them to become effective, ethical leaders in their home, school, workplace and community, according to a school news release.

Representing Nazareth’s Class of 2022 are Lorin Bucur of Berwyn and David Sobkowiak of Downers Grove, who were selected by Nazareth's faculty and staff. They will attend the HOBY Conference at Loyola University in June.

“I’m most looking forward to learning how to be an effective leader,” Bucur said in the news release. “Taking part in HOBY won’t just benefit me; I want to learn how to juggle everyone’s talents and put their potential to use in productive ways which allow every group member to learn and thrive as a team.”

Sobkowiak said, "The faculty at Nazareth has always been welcoming, and I am excited to learn skills that I can use in high school and after graduation.”

Class of 2020 HOBY representative Connor Uphues of Berwyn and class of 2021 representative Matthew Ivansek of Westchester were selected to return to this year’s conference as volunteer junior staffers.

“I applied to volunteer for HOBY this year because I had the most amazing experience and I learned a lot,” Ivansek said. “I’d like to help the new HOBY attendees to have the best experience possible.”

Returning for a second year as a junior staffer, Uphues explained that “HOBY has been a life changing experience and has taught me how important it is to embrace being a leader every day. I hope that Lorin and David learn this as well and are empowered to make changes in their lives and in their communities. I am glad to give back to a program that has made such a difference to me.”