Holbrook attends conference in Indiana
Ellen Holbrook (11) speaks with her friends from the chapter, Diego Ngyuen (10) and Ryan Starkey (11), at lunchtime. She meets with them every Tuesday for Best Buddies.
Squeezing in the doors to get to their seats, 800 students from around the world crammed into Indiana University’s theater, filling its seats.
Guest speakers talked to the students followed by musical performances to pump everybody up.
While many students look forward to summer vacation to forget about school and go on extravagant vacations, this was not the case for Ellen Holbrook (11).
On July 24, Holbrook flew to Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana to learn about her new role as the President of the Best Buddies chapter at Westview.
For three days, Holbrook attended conferences to learn about communication within the chapter and involving everybody in activities.
“I learned a lot that makes a chapter better, like thinking outside the box,” she said. “It struck me at how much work it could be to run a chapter to make it the best it can be. It’s more than I thought but it’s definitely going to pay off in the end. I feel much more prepared.”
While this conference taught Holbrook a lot about running a successful club and having a strong following with consistent members, it also taught her other, more general lessons.
“The conference made me realize it’s not [just] about spending time with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities,” she said. “It’s also about changing the way society treats them.”
Out of the many opportunities that the conference offered, Holbrook felt that meeting new friends was one of her favorite parts.
“[The conference] taught me not only how to run a chapter, but also about myself. [It] showed me how I can be a better person and my friends through Best Buddies help me do that. I’m also a stronger person than I thought and I believe in myself more than I used to.”
Holbrook took a lot from the conference this year and plans to be the president next year as well.
“It was amazing, I cannot wait for next year,” Holbrook said. “It’s a fun experience hanging out with everybody and there are lots of fun activities. There will be even more that I will learn and there are new ideas to bring to the tables, going again will teach me even more.”