What would you do if you were stuck on a deserted island? Such was the question posed to 100 students from the Glendale and Burbank school districts during an activity at the Youth Leadership Conference.The conference took place at Glendale Community College on Friday, Jan. 24, and was hosted by the local Character & Ethics Project.

Junior Andrew Ansell, one of the ten Clark students who attended, said that the activity made participants think and practice leadership skills. “There was this activity where you had to imagine yourself on a deserted island,” Ansell said. “We had to explain what we would do and why. It was just a lot of fun stuff like that.”

Junior Ani Orujyan also enjoyed the deserted island activity. “It was my favorite activity because it taught me about the importance of teamwork and communication,” Orujyan said. “It was a reminder that success can be achieved through working together rather than being alone. But of course, it is essential to be a leader to guide others and to push them to reach their goals.”

The students were accompanied by counselor Susan Howe and assistant principal Lena Kortoshian.

Once the students arrived, snacks were served and speakers began the event. The first pair of speakers was a couple who had climbed Mount Everest together, Hoover High School alumni Denise and Paul Fejtek. They gave a speech on their experience and also handed the students books that they signed during the break.

Junior Anais Panossian was especially touched by the Fejtek couple’s speech. “When they shared their experience climbing the seven summits in the world, I thought it was so inspiring. It motivated me to push myself and reach my goals,” she said.

Following after the couple’s speech, students were divided into several groups and participated in numerous activities.

To Panossian, it was a wonderful privilege attending the conference. “I learned many new things about being a good leader that I didn’t know before,” Panossian said. “I had the opportunity to meet amazing mentors who gave us great advice about how to be successful in the future. It was a great experience, and I’m glad I had the privilege of attending.”

Ansell also obtained a leadership message from the experience. “The message I got from the speakers and the whole conference was to take action,” he said. “You can’t just wait around and expect things to play out, you have to take action.”