Support Cass's Journey to World Leadership Congress

My name is Cassandra Peterson. I am a 16-year-old incoming senior at Riverside, a small school made up of three towns in the middle of rural Southwest Iowa. Recently, I have dedicated my life to bettering myself and my community, whether in small silent ways or in loud ways. I strive to push people to be the best that they can and find their passions and act on them.

In the beginning of my sophomore year, my guidance counselor came up to me with an offer that would change my life. He told me about the Hugh O'Brian Youth Leadership Seminar (HOBY). He explained to me that my teachers and administrators had all nominated me to go to this seminar that I had never heard about. To put it bluntly, I was shocked, and I was scared. I didn't know why I was nominated. I mean, yes, I had a loud personality, but I wasn't really 'the leadership type.' I didn't know what they saw in me. I was also terrified to go. Terrified of being around people I didn't know for three days straight, and that I wouldn't be good enough. All the worst situations were running through my head: 'What if I don't make friends?', 'What if I hate it?', 'What if it's a waste of time?' But nonetheless, not wanting to disappoint the adults in my life, I caved in and accepted the nomination. I didn't know it then, but this decision would change the course of my life for the better.

My sophomore year, I was struggling. A lot. I had been going through one of the worst bouts of depression of my life. I had never felt more alone and unloved, and I felt like life wasn't worth living anymore. I started trying to pull away from my friends and planned on ghosting them all over the summer, wanting to just let myself get worse, not seeing the point in trying to get better. I didn't realize how many people I truly had until coming to HOBY.

Coming into HOBY, I was unfortunately not very open-minded. But once I met the ambassadors and faculty I am now so lucky to call friends, all of that quickly changed. HOBY is a place for high schoolers to learn so much about themselves, others, and leadership in a friendly, welcoming, and fun environment. I made so many amazing, lifelong friends, and learned so much about myself, which brought me so much closer to my friends back home and pushed me to want to make a change in my community and in my world.

I returned to HOBY this June as a JUFA (junior facilitator) and was blessed to make more friends, learn more about myself, and see the same passion, love, and fire I had discovered just a year ago ignited in the eyes of the ambassadors.

Although my mental health is still a work in progress, it is significantly better. I truly believe HOBY saved my life.

HOBY has another much larger conference held in Chicago, Illinois, from July 19-26, 2025, called The World Leadership Congress (WLC). WLC is an international-level opportunity and is open to high schoolers around the world. This congress is a week-long version of what I experienced at HOBY and is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. The problem I am facing is the tuition. The estimated costs of attending, including tuition and travel, is $2,850, and coming from a single-parent household, this is simply not attainable for me alone. I need all of the support I can get in achieving my dream. Even if you are not able or willing to donate, it would truly mean the world to me if you simply shared this link and my story.

Thank you for taking the time out of your day to read all of this. I realize it was very long-winded. I cannot express my gratitude for any and all help and support you are willing to give. Have an OUTSTANDING day!!!