Alumni Stories

Alumni Stories is a collection of posts from past HOBY participants about their experience pre-HOBY, during HOBY, and post HOBY. Hope you enjoy and are able to be inspired by these amazing individuals!

Brittany Rupp - Wisconsin HOBY Alum 2012

My Life Before HOBY
My name is Brittany and my life before HOBY was pretty normal. I had volunteered a few times before and from those experiences I gained many great memories. I had never really understood or thought about the significance behind the word “volunteer”.  By no means did I ever realize how one hour of my time could affect so many people. That was until about two weeks before coming to HOBY, when two of my friends died in a car accident. It was such a tragic event, but I never realized how much those girls impacted my life until they were taken away. One of the girls had over 200 volunteer service hours at the humane society. By giving a little bit of her time each week, the lives of so many were changed forever.

My Life During HOBY
During the HOBY seminar I met so many amazing people. This was an experience I am so glad I did not miss. It really opened my eyes to the change that young adults like me can make in the community. Nothing has ever changed in silence. You must speak loud and speak proud and HOBY gave me the confidence to do that. We did so many fun projects and learning activities. In addition to the life changing skills and opportunities that HOBY provided, I will never forget how to spell the word OUTSTANDING!!! That one word pretty much sums up my experience at HOBY-an outstanding one that has changed my life and one that I will never forget.

My Life After HOBY
After leaving HOBY I have made it my personal goal to live the way my two friends would, to do a good deed every day. It can be something as simple as giving a welcoming smile or offering to help carry a heavy load. It doesn’t matter how big or small the things you do are. Everything you do leaves an impact, so make the most of your life, and help change the community in which you live.