Help David attend the HOBY World Leadership Congress!

Hello donors! My name is David Ejuwa, a rising Junior at Regis Jesuit High School (RJHS). I proudly represented my school as a HOBY Colorado Ambassador. This fundraiser now aims to cover the travel along with other costs for the next step in my HOBY journey: the 2025 World Leadership Congress (WLC) at Loyola University in Chicago from July 19-26. If funds aren’t raised in time, proceeds will be allocated to the 2026 WLC in Washington, D.C.

Since 1968, the WLC has been a global hub for young leaders, expanding on the leadership skills learned at HOBY seminars through an intensive international experience. Students from over 80 countries have attended, and I believe this opportunity will equip me with lifelong skills to foster change in my community. I am eager to deepen my leadership abilities and bring that knowledge home to serve others.

Before I tell you about my time at HOBY, I'd like to tell you a bit about myself. I am a varsity football player at RJHS, I compete in shot put and discus events for the RJHS track and field team and I write, produce, and formerly anchored a weekly news broadcast through the RJHS Student Media Club. See the links below to check out RJTV. My HOBY experience was one of the most impactful of my life. It broadened my perspective on topics like intersectionality and exposed me to inspiring speakers such as Robbie’s Hope and Colectivo de Paz. Their messages helped me see how parts of our identity can create barriers—barriers I want to help dismantle in my community. Inspired by HOBY, I plan to bring Robbie’s Hope, an organization that helps to fight teen suicide, to my school to support students, especially athletes, struggling with mental health, emotional health and other invisible disabilities. I also aim to launch an organization for Black teens interested in STEM, starting in Aurora, CO, to promote connection, mentorship, and awareness of Black representation in these fields.

Attending WLC would be transformative. I want to grow as a leader and inspire others locally. Thank you for your support and consideration!

The following are statements made about David, and how he showcased OUTSTANDING leadership qualities through his tenure at the HOBY Colorado Youth Leadership Seminar 2025:

"I had the honor and privilege of being David’s Facilitator at HOBY Colorado. David is a natural leader. While at HOBY, his grounding and welcoming presence in Group C helped even the more reserved ambassadors of the group feel welcome and comfortable within our small new family.

I knew David was going to thrive in the HOBY community in the first hour of HOBY, as he sang Pink Pony Club Karaoke alongside me before the opening ceremony.

Throughout his HOBY experience, David asked in-depth questions in debriefs and during question-and-answer sessions with not only HOBY as a whole, but also to the presenters directly. His questions demonstrated a deep understanding of what was being presented, and were forward thinking, consistently asking the type of questions that asked, “how can I bring this back to my community?”

Although David was very HOBY right off the bat, I was also able to watch him grow. He took his inherently grounding and calm nature, along with his growing but solid knowledge of self-worth and perseverance, and began to find ways to outwardly share the benefits of those rare and necessary characteristics not only with our group but with the groups we interacted with.

Whether David ends up at WLC 2025 or WLC 2026, I know the WLC experience will help David enhance his leadership knowledge and David will bring the WLC experience home to his community. This experience will not be lost on David.

In summary, David, L-O-V-E love you, love you *AND* R-O-C-K you rock, you rock!!”

-LOU (Luisa Barlow) Group C Facilitator 2025, HOBY Colorado. HOBY CO & WLC 2011 alumni

"I did not have the honor of being David’s full-time Facilitator during his time at HOBY Colorado, but I did get to see him grow throughout the seminar through his interactions with my group and the seminar as a whole.

David was a calming presence and actively welcomed my group whenever we came together. David actively participated in all discussions, activities, and provided each individual with grace. There was a period where I was facilitating not only my group but his as well and David stepped up to keep things running smoothly as his group adjusted to my group’s different practices and personalities on the fly.

Through my interactions I could tell that David was not just listening to the material being presented to him but actively applying what he was learning and thinking critically. I got to watch David interact with the presenters from Collectivo de Paz during a small question-and-answer session while our groups were together. The questions he was asking were insightful and demonstrated his knowledge and understanding of the material that he had been taught throughout the seminar not just that session. His questions, desire to learn, and comprehension of the materials was that of an individual many years older than him.

During the service project David took the activity a step further than many ambassadors. To David it was not just enough to have put together the hygiene kits he had been tasked with making, he wanted to know what the process was going forward to get them distributed to the intended community.

It was clear that David was not just at HOBY to be there, but that he was there to engage with the material and to learn leadership skills that he could use to make an impact on his community.

While in the large group seminar debrief after the group leadership phase of the programing concluded, David demonstrated an ability to not just learn the material, but apply it to meet the needs of his community and a passion of his. David expressed a desire to start an organization that would bring together members of his community to network, work together, collaborate, and explore the field of STEM.

If provided the opportunity to go to WLC, whether it be in 2025 or 2026, I know that David will not take the opportunity for granted. David is one individual that will truly take what he has learned and apply it to make an impact on his community."

-Reilly Franek Group K Facilitator HOBY Colorado 2025 and HOBY Colorado 2013 alumni.