Thiel College hosting high school sophomores for HOBY program for youth leaders

Posted June 9, 2022Communications and Marketing Department

GREENVILLE, Pa.—The only Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership program in western Pennsylvania will be at Thiel College from June 17–19.

About 50 students from across western Pennsylvania were nominated by their schools to participate in the program. During the weekend of activities students will hear from Mercer County community leaders, including Thiel graduates, Alex Hudson MBA’21, a principal at Hudson Companies, and the David Miller Endowed Chair in Accounting and Professor of Business Administration and Accounting Gary Witosky ’79, as well as Greenville Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Janice Schwanbeck and St. Paul’s Senior Living Chief Financial Officer Brian Mailliard. Attendees will also spend time working on a community service project at St. Paul’s Senior Living campus. The students will hear from Sam Faber ’20, a Thiel College admissions counselor and alumnus of the College, as well as Deb Anderson, an admissions and community outreach specialist for Laurel Technical Institute, about the importance of continuing education or training after high school. The Hugh O’Brian program will also be providing several speakers through the program.

“We are excited to host these outstanding students from western PA on our campus,” Thiel College assistant director of admission and graduate counselor Morgan Bodnar ’16 MBA’21 said. “This program provides critical thinking, community, experience and guidance to these future leaders.”

As part of the seminar, the students will explore and discover their personal leadership potential and strengths through inspiring leadership development programs. The interactive seminars, held on college or university campuses, follow HOBY’s leadership development curriculum which allows students to discover leadership from a personal, group, and socially responsible perspective—building a network of positive community change-makers.

High school sophomores develop their leadership skills and learn how to become effective, ethical leaders in their home, school, workplace and community through the program. For more than five decades, HOBY has inspired young people to make a difference and become catalysts for positive change in their homes, schools, workplaces and communities. As America’s foremost youth leadership organization, HOBY has a long and impressive history of successfully motivating young people to develop into outstanding leaders. HOBY aims to inspire and develop a global community of youth and volunteers to a life dedicated to leadership, service, and innovation.

HOBY was founded as a non-profit organization in 1958 by Hugh O’Brian with a mission to inspire a global community of youth and volunteers to live lives dedicated to leadership, service, and innovation.

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About Thiel College

Thiel College is an independent college founded in the Lutheran tradition. Located in Greenville, Pa., the College offers 60 majors and minors, 24 varsity sports, and an 11:1 student-faculty ratio. The College is also home to a new Master of Science in speech-language pathology and 2Master of Business Administration. Both master’s degree programs offer innovative and accelerated five-year paths which allow students to earn a bachelor’s and master’s degree in five years. The speech-language pathology program also has an accelerated 15-month graduate-level program. The M.B.A. program also has a 12-month post-graduate program.A dedicated faculty paired with dynamic research and internship opportunities produce numerous graduate school and job placements. Coeducational from its beginnings, the College remains committed to combining tradition with innovation as it celebrates 150 years.



Thiel College
75 College Ave
Greenville, PA 16125
1-800-248-4435