Emerson Gary is a 16-year-old Greenbelt resident who was recently the only youth from Prince George’s County to participate in the Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) for Rotary District 7620 (Central Maryland and Washington, D.C.) This is her account of the experience.
I was honored when the Greenbelt Rotary Club offered to sponsor me for Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA), for which I was nominated after my efforts to increase teen voting in Greenbelt.
RYLA is a program designed to help youth find new ways to become leaders by creating an environment where they work with others and problem-solve together to make a positive impact. RYLA took place at the YMCA Camp Letts in Anne Arundel County, over Presidents Day weekend.
New Friends
At the camp, I met a huge mix of people from all over the DMV. Some individuals lived just down the street, while others drove hours from Virginia to get there. The people I spent the weekend with were all so welcoming. Most had been recommended through the Rotary programs at their school, something I had never heard of before as my school doesn’t have a Rotary program. Everyone there wanted to make a difference in their own way. It inspired me to do more.
On the first day at camp, in the “RYLA Olympics” we competed in challenges against other groups. One challenge I enjoyed was which group could cover someone in three rolls of toilet paper the fastest. I laughed a lot that night and made new friends from these games.
Inspiring Speakers
Although we had fun, we also had activities that built our leadership skills and heard from inspiring guest speakers. Matt May, who works at Morgan Stanley, taught us the Rotary Four Way Test, which is a guide to help build healthy personal and professional relationships. We learned when solving a problem to ask ourselves: 1) Is it the truth? 2) Is it fair to all concerned? 3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships? and 4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned? Gregor Baum also spoke with us about his journey of having to end his professional tennis career due to injury. He created a workbook called The Inner Journey to help others on their path while navigating personal challenges. Lastly, Dr. Unnatti Jain, a behavior change expert, spoke with us about motivational speaking and how to build better relationships to create a more empowered life.
Team Projects
The main project over the weekend was a team community service project. As a group, we had to choose an issue in our community and present our solution to three judges, who determined whether or not our solution was applicable. For the project, we had to pick a nonprofit organization that focused on the issue we wanted to address. Three winners would win money for the organizations. First place won $1,000, second place won $500 and third place won $250. The group that won first place would also be able to turn their project into reality. My group focused on ICE raids in the DMV and we came up with solutions to help families and youth that were affected. The nonprofit organization that we chose was CASA, which focuses on improving the quality of life for low-income immigrants through advocacy, legal services, job placement and community organizing. So many teams had amazing ideas and worked together to come up with solutions that will change society for the better. Although my group didn’t win, I was glad to see that everyone was so passionate about their ideas and genuinely wanted to do good for their community.
Learning Experience
While at RYLA, I learned a lot about myself and how to be a better person for those around me. I made genuine friendships and became more motivated to be a leader. What’s amazing is that RYLA doesn’t stop there. I learned that teens can become Group Leaders, who manage the groups, almost like a camp counselor. My Group Leaders told me that I could become one next year if I wanted by asking and being recommended. I love that teens have the ability to make an impact with RYLA in so many different ways and that after attending RYLA camp, they still can participate.
I think RYLA is an amazing opportunity for teens; it teaches that speaking up can change lives around them. Rotary and RYLA prove that teens can make an impact. Bringing together teens to work on leadership and charity is powerful and inspiring. I believe that more teens should have this opportunity, as it has changed my way of thinking.
To learn more about the Greenbelt Rotary Club and the opportunities RYLA provides, visit greenbeltrotary.org, facebook.com/Greenbeltrotary and rotary7620.org/youth-programs/ryla.
The Greenbelt Rotary Club will begin identifying candidates in September 2026 for the February 2027 RYLA, with selections to be made by Thanksgiving. The application will require students to submit a statement of intention for their future goals. Check the club’s website, greenbeltrotary.org, closer to September for application information.
