Hey everyone,
After months of planning and preparation, with a little improvisation at the end, we can now confidently say we've finished a greatly successful first U-Lead conference! The last day was a bittersweet end for everyone, as we had all become closer than ever and had to go our separate ways after the experience of a lifetime. Hopefully, the final day brought together all the themes of the conference and concluded with a message of inspiration.
We were fortunate enough to begin the day hearing from several Operation Smile veterans from the American School of Bombay. Lisa and Usha, the presidents of ASB's club and participants at ISLC 2010, were joined by Tarini, a member of the club and U-Lead participant, and Usha, the club sponsor and a mission sponsor. The group discussed the many opportunities students have within Operation Smile, including their personal mission stories, an overview of their experience at ISLC, and some tips and ideas for fundraising in their schools.
After lunch, the students went to breakout sessions with the three College Council members one last time. Each group attended Jake's presentation about starting and maintaining student clubs, Logan's presentation about holding successful fundraisers, and Claire's presentation about understanding your own personality strengths and how to interact with others.
The final games of the conference then determined which team would ultimately win the whole weekend. Each team had to present their banners after being judged by our esteemed panel of teachers and Andrew...once again, team White took the victory, closely followed by Team Green and then Team Orange. A competitive game of Operation Smile ensued, testing the knowledge each student had learned over the past few days. With very close scores, the final win again went to Team White, who won best team in the overall competition!
As a final event, we wrapped up the conference in true Operation Smile fashion...with a final party. The superintendent was kind enough to host us at his home, which must the most beautiful residence in all Mumbai. With a lovely porch boasting a view of the water, we listened to music, talked, ate, and danced until the sun set over the Arabian Sea. We heard one student jokingly say, "At first I just wanted to come to this to miss a day of school, but it wasn't a waste of a weekend at all!" and another said, "I wish everyone weekend could be like this." We all left the conference in disbelief that it was over but with the hope that we'll see each other again soon.
Claire, Jake, and Logan left Mumbai later that night knowing that this wouldn't be the last time they visited Mumbai. A truly unique city, it is now filled with unforgettable memories and some of the best friends we could imagine...how can we possibly stay away?
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped and supported us during this conference, especially Andrew, Mansi, ASB, Student Programs, and most of all the amazing students who attended the conference.
We are now back in the States and wish the JV team in Panama the best of luck. We know you'll hold a fantastic conference, and we can't wait to hear about it!
Love always,
Claire, Jake, and Logan
After months of planning and preparation, with a little improvisation at the end, we can now confidently say we've finished a greatly successful first U-Lead conference! The last day was a bittersweet end for everyone, as we had all become closer than ever and had to go our separate ways after the experience of a lifetime. Hopefully, the final day brought together all the themes of the conference and concluded with a message of inspiration.
We were fortunate enough to begin the day hearing from several Operation Smile veterans from the American School of Bombay. Lisa and Usha, the presidents of ASB's club and participants at ISLC 2010, were joined by Tarini, a member of the club and U-Lead participant, and Usha, the club sponsor and a mission sponsor. The group discussed the many opportunities students have within Operation Smile, including their personal mission stories, an overview of their experience at ISLC, and some tips and ideas for fundraising in their schools.
After lunch, the students went to breakout sessions with the three College Council members one last time. Each group attended Jake's presentation about starting and maintaining student clubs, Logan's presentation about holding successful fundraisers, and Claire's presentation about understanding your own personality strengths and how to interact with others.
The final games of the conference then determined which team would ultimately win the whole weekend. Each team had to present their banners after being judged by our esteemed panel of teachers and Andrew...once again, team White took the victory, closely followed by Team Green and then Team Orange. A competitive game of Operation Smile ensued, testing the knowledge each student had learned over the past few days. With very close scores, the final win again went to Team White, who won best team in the overall competition!
As a final event, we wrapped up the conference in true Operation Smile fashion...with a final party. The superintendent was kind enough to host us at his home, which must the most beautiful residence in all Mumbai. With a lovely porch boasting a view of the water, we listened to music, talked, ate, and danced until the sun set over the Arabian Sea. We heard one student jokingly say, "At first I just wanted to come to this to miss a day of school, but it wasn't a waste of a weekend at all!" and another said, "I wish everyone weekend could be like this." We all left the conference in disbelief that it was over but with the hope that we'll see each other again soon.
Claire, Jake, and Logan left Mumbai later that night knowing that this wouldn't be the last time they visited Mumbai. A truly unique city, it is now filled with unforgettable memories and some of the best friends we could imagine...how can we possibly stay away?
Thank you so much to everyone who has helped and supported us during this conference, especially Andrew, Mansi, ASB, Student Programs, and most of all the amazing students who attended the conference.
We are now back in the States and wish the JV team in Panama the best of luck. We know you'll hold a fantastic conference, and we can't wait to hear about it!
Love always,
Claire, Jake, and Logan
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