Karen was chosen as our student representative to RYLA 2026 after being interviewed by Marcy and Sue. She is a Moline High School student, finishing her senior year last month. She will be attending Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) to pursue a degree in biomedical engineering this fall. Her goal is to create things that are useful and meaningful, such as for mobility. She is a cross country runner and intends to be part of MSOE cross country and track teams.
She had a wonderful experience at RYLA and she felt it was a great opportunity. She considers herself a soft leader and was concerned. She discovered that leadership takes other shapes and being outgoing and vocal is not mandatory.
She found that others were uncertain about the event in the beginning. This was her first experience with a sleepover. She felt some of her experiences were a great introduction to what she will experience at college.
She was a “green team” member. She felt a bit awkward but realized that the strangers around her were having the same experience that she was having.
She enjoyed several games and team building activities. One was a puzzle and the team could not talk to each other. Another was an obstacle course and a “lava” river they could not fall into. They really used their resources well to complete tasks presented to the team. She developed friendships with time, as they got comfortable with each other. She met a young man names Tyler who also does country country and track. Another new friendship developed by a mutual understanding of Portuguese.
She called the participants a “mixed salad” with everyone contributing to their challenges.
She enjoyed the speakers who attended the event. Bill Carsen was a financial advisor who pleaded guilty to stealing money from his clients and ended up in prison. She was impressed by his honesty. He referred to “chasing butterflies” when we are constantly reaching for “more”. It made her think about how she wants her own life to look like in adulthood.
Laura Ives is a doctor who spoke about how unpredictable life can be. She was a Rotary exchange student in Germany and lost her passport. She had to figure out how to resolve the problem on her own. After switching majors multiple times she chose medicine. Karen found her inspiring. As an adult, we are responsible for our decisions. Life is not a straight path and you don't always need to have everything figured out.
She found her quiet leadership is her own way of leading and it can be effective in creating action. She wants to always stay true to herself and growing through life.
