Shore sophomore and Interact member, Skylla Sylva, has been selected to attend this year’s Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) program this June at Monmouth University.  The Long Branch Rotary Club will graciously sponsor Skylla’s experience, covering all costs associated with the event.  Former RYLA participant and current Shore sophomore and Interact member, Martin MacStudy, provides some insight below into the unique and beneficial event. 

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RYLA is a leadership camp held over four days, typically at the end of June, at Monmouth University. RYLA is an unforgettable experience where you meet countless lifelong friends and memories. There are many ways to describe what RYLA is, but none of them give it justice. It is truly impossible to convey how much of an unforgettable experience it is without giving it all away. RYLA pushes people out of their comfort zone and, at first, it seems weird. However, once you learn to embrace the weird of it all, the lessons that are taught make more sense. At RYLA, you are put onto a team with 14 other strangers. Each team has a lead counselor, an advisor, and two support counselors, all of whom have previously gone to RYLA. At the end of the four days, those strangers become like a second family. If you have an open mind, you still talk to them months, and years, later. I strongly recommend RYLA to everyone. For the outgoing, you’ll feel at home. For the timid, you’ll be supported as you inevitably break out of your shell. RYLA has something for everything, and that shows why it’s been continued for years and will continue for years.