The North Baton Rouge (NBR) Summer Youth Development Program impacted my life immensely. I began the NBR program going into my freshmen year of high school. It impacted my life immediately because there were obstacles that I had begun to encounter, and I did not know how to deal with them. The program helped me learn how to handle those situations by focusing on student development, public speaking and professional development in youth.

By developing student skills as a freshman in high school, the program helped me to become a more advanced student in the classroom. Participating in the NBR program helped me excel in my honors classes in high school in which I graduated in the top thirty percent of my class. The NBR program also developed my professional skills by placing me at a work site that pertained to my career goals. Being able to work in that professional environment gave me the opportunity to experience first hand what I would experience in the work field.

Another aspect of the program that helped me tremendously and prepared me for college was the public speaking portion. Participating in public speaking helped me to feel comfortable with talking in front of large groups of people. This task by itself is one task that many adults today still cannot overcome. Being able to talk in front of crowds gave me a huge advantage over my peers past and present because while others were timid and shy to talk, I am very eager to do so. I would not have been able to conquer this if it were not for the NBR youth program. This program played a vital part in developing the young man that I am today.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Rodriguez
Senior
University of Louisiana
Class of 2014