By Anne Lehmann

Of the Gleaner

A national leadership conference in St. Louis for four days? To be honest, I wasn’t so sure how to feel about it. Fortunately I got to go with Jennifer Deitzel, ‘14. Regardless,  I anticipated 400 stuck up high schoolers; most of whom would think way too highly of themselves. I was worried that choosing Town Meeting On Tomorrow over Homecoming was a huge mistake.

Luckily for me, I was wrong.

My time in St. Louis went way beyond my expectations. Eighty amazing leaders and students from all over the country gathered together. Within the short time we had, we discussed important topics such as the debt, bullying, education, religion, and more. I had some of the single most intellectual conversations with kids my age than I ever had in my life .

From a boy who was a CEO of two companies he started to a girl who was missing modeling in L.A. fashion week for the conference – I was surrounded by all types of leaders of the future.

Don’t get me wrong, however. We had a blast. Whether it was at the zoo, the dinner table, the talent show, mafia, chair relays, or the dance – you could count on hearing non stop laughter. I don’t mean to brag, but I’m pretty sure I formed a six pack from laughing so much.

Besides a new, rockin’ body, I also gained a new perspective on life. There were many times when I would look around and have to take a step back.

At a young age, we were making a difference. We weren’t waiting on the world to change. We were being the change. This amazed me. If we just set goals for ourselves and follow them, we CAN change the world.

I couldn’t get over the fact at how awesome the kids my age were. I formed many friendships, whether it be best friends, future husbands, or college classmates.

None of us had anticipated our experience in St. Louis.  TMOT wasn’t just a leadership conference…it was life changing. All eighty students formed a special bond and we created the TMOT family.

And how did we get here in the first place? After a nomination from teachers, a written essay, two leadership days at Clark and University of Dubuque, and an interview with the head of the board, we got to start our amazing journey in St. Louis.