RYLA Awardees 2016

Posted by Emma Stuart
 
On the 4th of August we had 10 of our 13 Rylarians attend our evening dinner, to talk to our members about their experience at RYLA for 2016. The excitement and passion that exuded from the awardees was outstanding, each having developed a new set of goals, and a different mind-set about their lives and futures.
 
 
The awardees were:
 
  • Vaimoana Lolohea: Chemist and Rotaract Club of Auckland City President
  • Oliver Such: Director at Enablr
  • Lisa Jessen: Ray White Remuera Sales Associate
  • Jess Gernat: Photograper and business owner
  • Emily Sclater: Lumino the Dentist
  • Georgia Skipper: Edmund Hillary Retirement Village
  • Andrew Campbell: ITM Marketing Campaign Manager
  • Kieran Simmons: Sociology Honors Student at Auckland University
  • Matthew Denton: Law and Arts, University of Auckland
  • Julia Forde: Sport and Business at AUT
 
Also sponsored by Rotary Club of St Johns but unable to attend were:
 
  • Hugo Bloor: Masters Student - Department of Geography, University of Otago
  • Jeshua MacDonald: Spark (Corporate Sponsor)
  • Jordan Blade: Oceanbridge (Corporate Sponsor)
 
All the speakers had a few minutes each to speak about their experiences, and take homes from RYLA, with the resounding message being “the people” they met, and the special bond and relationships they were able to build, which they felt created a unique and supportive culture. This allowed each individual to truly explore their role as a leader, in a welcoming and comfortable environment.
 
Georgia Skipper presented a very memorable speech about her long history of social anxiety, the confidence that RYLA gave her. For her, RYLA was the definition of “life changing.” She has achieved more both at RYLA, and since the week finishing, than she could have ever imagined…including playing the piano and singing in front of 120 of her peers, we are very proud of you Georgia!
 
Overall, it was a fantastic night of getting different perspectives on the amazing benefits and opportunities that we all know RYLA can provide. We have already had at least a table of Rylarians from 2016 commit to the Quiz Night, so make sure you grab them and say hello if you have any more questions or comments. Bring on 2017!