The Rotary Club of Cambridge welcomed five Dorchester County students to share their experience at RYLA, Rotary Youth Leadership Awards. A weekend conference, RYLA enhances student’s leadership skills through speaker training and several hands-on activities.

Delegates are sponsored by Rotary Clubs from Rotary District 7630 which encompasses Delaware and the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Assigned to a group of strangers, each group has the task of creating a community service project and developing a 15-minute presentation presented on Sunday.  Throughout the weekend, they are involved in such activities as an egg drop contest, skits solving ethical dilemmas and several hands-on team building activities, all of which are designed to enhance their participants leadership team skills.

North Dorchester High School participants included Ta’Tyana Maradiaga, Cristina Lopez, Thomas Foxwell and Julia Creighton. Aniya Carr and Mia Jackson represented Cambridge South Dorchester High School. Each of the delegates spoke about the weekend, sharing their thoughts about the experience. All of the students talked about the positive impact RYLA had on them. Each said they enjoyed their time at the conference and shared some of their highlights. A couple of the delegates said by the end of the weekend they felt more comfortable talking in front of strangers. Assisting at RYLA, as a group leader, was CSDHS graduate and past RYLA Delegate Khloe Kues. Khloe is a current student at Salisbury University.

Joining the students were CSDHS Assistant Administrator Phylicia Smith and NDHS Guidance Administrative Assistant Diana Creighton.