At first, the Young America’s Foundation National High School Leadership Conference just seemed like an opportunity for high school students Dalton Carter and Mack Savala to escape their small town in Oklahoma. However, the conference quickly turned into an eye opening experience that neither one plans to take for granted. Surrounded by high school students from across the country, both Carter and Savala expressed the importance of meeting other like-minded students, describing it as an opportunity that helped strengthen their identity as young conservatives. “Before this conference, I didn’t have a real understanding on what being a conservative was,” Carter explained. “After meeting and listening to what other students and the speakers believe in, I realized that I, too, am a conservative.” NHSLC was both Carter and Savala’s first experience at a Young America’s Foundation event. Both students agreed that the conference helped them come to the realization that being young doesn’t mean you can’t make an impact for the conservative movement at your high school and in your community. “I’ve learned that it doesn’t matter what your age is,” Savala noted. “You can always make a difference in someone’s life.” Carter added, “I learned it’s not as hard as it seems to make a difference. Even if you are not able to vote, you can still be active in the conservative movement.” Students who attended the four-day conference left with more than just a free t-shirt. Each student went back to their high schools with a new found confidence, more arguments to defend their conservative beliefs, and friendships that will last a lifetime. “Young America’s Foundation’s National High School Leadership Conference is not just a conference,” Savala explained. “It’s four days that shape a lifetime.”
