University of Richmond freshman Philippa Carey truly learned what it means to be a leader at a crucial time in her life as she was making the transition from high school to college.  She spent 10 days exploring cities in Central Europe -- Austria, Hungary and the Czech Republic as a participant in the Global Young Leaders Conference (GYLC).  It was an experience she describes as life changing as she made new friends, was able to view firsthand architecture and culture she had only seen on television and, most importantly, learned what it really takes to become a leader from Muhamed Mesic, a 27-year-old lawyer and civil rights activist who was born in war-torn Bosnia.
From Mesic, whose childhood struggles prompted him to become more involved with civil and human rights and being a voice for those who didn't have one, she said she learned a leader always understands, always dares and always has fun.
"A leader is always knowledgeable about the cause that they are promoting," said Carey.  "A leader has formed a solid opinion and can defend it while ignoring all irrelevant arguments."
From Mesic she said she learned that a leader is also always able to motivate others and assume goodwill.
The St. Augustine's College graduate said she also learned that a leader is willing to stand up to be a voice for those who can't speak for themselves.
"A leader is willing to challenge convention for the betterment of mankind and never fears mistakes.  [Mesic] taught us that failure does not exist therefore we have nothing to fear."
Also standing out to the 18-year-old was the fact that age should never be a stumbling block.  She said Mesic told them that just because someone is older it does not necessarily mean that that person is more knowledgeable or experienced about a subject than a younger person.
"A leader dares to stand up for their views when others try to put them down due to age or supposed betterment of mankind and never fears mistakes.  He taught us that failure does not exist therefore we have nothing to fear," she said.
Carey who is in the first year of her pre-med undergraduate degree studies said of all the speakers who spoke to the 300 young scholars attending the conference for her, Mesic, who is also fluent in 10 languages and can communicate in two dozen other languages, was the most memorable and most profound.
While Mesic said that the virtues of a good are understanding and daring, he reminded the outstanding high school scholars that a leader also always has fun, and that it is not work hard, play harder, but work hard, play enough.
"He made sure to tell us to have a career in something that we love and will always excite us, but that there must still be fun and spontaneity in our lives outside of work.  He also told us to use the energy we have as young people to live fully, as we will not have the energy for some of those things when we get older.  We should never lose the things we love in life, just add to it."
Conference participants also focused their efforts on learning about cross-cultural communication, goal setting and conflict resolution in smaller groups that they were divided up into.  The theme of GYLC was the leaders of tomorrow preparing for the global challenges and responsibilities of the future.
Carey and her peers interacted with key leaders and newsmakers with powerful influence over politics, finance, culture and diplomacy.  They participated in a carefully designed curriculum which included thought-provoking simulations that build leadership skills, as the conference aims to provide scholars with the opportunity to collaborate with their peers from around the world to both study and resolve global conflict.
Carey participated in a "World Economic Forum" on water scarcity where they were each given a role in business, government or social societies by the GYLC faculty advisors. She was given a role in business as president of a company's Western European Division.  Her group's job was to combat the issue of water scarcity, working on ways to resolve it, (this year focusing mainly on Spain) and to establish ways to prevent further water scarcity around the world.
"Individually, it was each person's responsibility to ensure that the best interests of their organization were met in the action plan for the water scarcity problem.  As I held a business role, I was looked to for funding.  I had to form alliances with some of the other organizations, where I provided water filters to various companies in exchange for advertising and exclusivity."
Participating in different student-led workshops, Carey participated in a workshop on capital punishment where there was a judge, jury and three defendants.  Each had to plead their case.  On the defensive side, Carey's group had to argue against capital punishment.  After the fates of defendants had been decided, they had an open debate about personal opinions on the matter.
She also visited the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and learned how the organization uses peaceful means for early warning, conflict resolution, crisis management and post conflict rehabilitation.  Speaking to the youth leaders on the issue was Susanna Loof, the press and public information officer at the OSCE.
Other students visited the Atomic Energy Council, the International Institute for Peace, United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime Vienna, or the Organization for Petroleum Exporting Countries.
Carey who had always wanted to go to Europe and got the opportunity through the conference, said the most important site she visited was the Terezin Concentration Camp.  Viewing the dark and dank rooms that held Jewish prisoners was a somber experience for her as she viewed the place where many Jews died by firing squad and the location where some were hanged.
The camp she visited was also used as the model camp, the one that was the most presentable, to be shown to Red Cross officers to show that the Jews were being treated well and actually liked living there, which unfortunately was not the case.
Carey walked through an underground tunnel used to transport prisoners and viewed the propaganda video used to falsely show the benefits the Jews experienced from living together in what was termed a "ghetto."
The hundreds of youth scholars also came together at the Austrian Town Hall to listen to general conference speakers that included Selma Prodanovic, chief networking officer of Brainswork-Ideas in Progress who spoke on cross-cultural communication.  Gezá Jeszensky, professor of history and former foreign minister of Hungary spoke on government and economics in Central Europe.
Carey who was recommended to the conference by her high school chemistry teacher, Jacqueline Dacres.  Carey shared Bahamian songs and gave her peers a "taste" of Junkanoo with a mask and miniature goat skin drums.  She also taught her new friends a few Bahamian phrases.
Carey, who was her high school valedictorian is also the Eta Psi Omega Chapter of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Linda Higgs-Swann Scholarship winner.  By virtue of her win she took home a $5,000 prized and was eligible for an $80,000 full, four year scholarship to attend the historically Black Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.  Carey passed on the chance at matriculating at the college and left those scholarship funds on the table for another of her fellow honorees to possibly take advantage of, as she had already received her acceptance and award that covered 87-percent of her fees, tuition and board from her first choice -- the University of Richmond.  Carey was also granted membership into the National Society of High School Scholars in Atlanta, Georgia.
 
 
 
A quick look at Carey's European schedule of Vienna, Budapest and Prague

Day One Heart of Europe: Welcome to Vienna
Morning Arrival at Vienna International Airport
Coach Transfer to Albertina Platz and Schönbrunn Palace
Welcome Dinner Featuring Authentic Austrian Cuisine
Welcome Speeches by GYLC
Leadership Group Meeting: Program Orientation, Academic Expectations and Cultural Overview
 
Day Two An Exploration of Global Leadership
Welcome to Vienna: Where Art, Music and History Collide
Hofburg Palace
State Opera House
St. Stephen's Cathedral
A Call to a Global Community: Cross Cultural Speaker
Lunch Reception and Official Welcome to Vienna:
Office of the Lord Mayor, Vienna City Hall
Museumsquartier Exploration: One of the Ten Largest Cultural Complexes in the World
Leadership Group Meeting: Identifying Your Role in a Cross Cultural, Global Society
On the Foothills of the Alps: Dinner and Folk Music in Gumpoldskirchen
 
Day Three Perspectives from International Organizations
Leadership Group Meeting: Approaches to Conflict Resolution
Global Partners in Action: International Organizations Field Study Exploration
Leadership Group Meeting: Debrief International Organizations Visits
Leadership Group Meeting: Simulation Group Meeting One
Music Without Borders: The Summa Cum Laude International Youth Music Festival
 
Day Four Welcome to Central Europe
Leadership Group Meeting: Cultural Exchange
Transfer to Budapest, Hungary
Citadella Exploration: Most Scenic View of Budapest
Leadership Group Meeting: Simulation Group Meeting Two
 
Day Five The Resilience of a Historic Culture
Welcome to Budapest:
Fisherman's Bastion
Heroes' Square
Hungarian Parliament
Castle District
Lunch and Exploration of Vaci Utca
Leadership Group Meeting
Hungarian Puszta: The Life of the Magyars
Folk Music and Dance
Horse Show
Authentic Hungarian Dinner
 
Day Six Travel to Prague
Leadership Group Meeting: Simulation Group Meeting Three
Coach Transfer to Prague, Czech Republic
Welcome Dinner: Local Czech Cuisine
 
Day Seven The Modern Look of Diplomacy
Examining the Role of Global Diplomatic Leaders: A Modern Look at Global Diplomacy Speaking Event
Welcome to Prague: 1,000 Years of Culture
Josefov
Charles Bridge
Jan Hus Memorial
Old Town Square: The Pedestrian Pulse of Prague
Leadership Group Meeting
 
Day Eight Exploring Human Rights
Case Study of Genocide and Human Rights: Terezin Concentration Camp Field Study Exploration
Malá Strana: Lunch and Exploration
Leadership Group Meeting: Learning from the Past and Looking Forward
Magical Prague by Night: Dinner Cruise on the Meandering Vltava, Passing by the Historic Charles Bridge
 
Day Nine A Call to Action
Transport from Prague to Vienna
A Call to Action: Closing Keynote Speaker
Final Meeting
The Farewell Dinner Dance: Volksgarten Tanzcafe and Garten 

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