A leader is born.

Team bonding, the value of hands on experience, and leadership inspiration—that’s what Ryan gained during his SYF Next Generation Program and SeaWorld San Antonio experience.

As Ryan’s band bonded as a team over workshops, team building exercises, and hands on animal experiences, his band mates grew much closer. He discovered that traveling and gaining hands-on experience is important to learning. He was inspired by his counselors’ passion for their jobs and quickly surmised that if you love your job you will be successful.

One point Ryan heard during his trip that really suck out in his mind was: anything can be achieved if you work together as a team. Ryan said he learned that a leader cannot be afraid to fail and must always strive for a more efficient way of completing a task. Since the program, Ryan’s leadership skills have blossomed. He has made a point to be more helpful with younger students and diligently builds a team mentality amongst his fellow band members.

Maybe the most inspiring part of Ryan’s travel experience is that attending camp motivated him to try out for drum major, an honor he’s proud to have achieved. Ryan attributes much of his new found drive to be a leader to what he experienced at camp and of course, thanks SYF for all they did for him.