Amazing Opportunity for This Young Global Leader

English Department Chair Madelaine Lord saw serious leadership potential in Ruari Bamrick ’25 and was determined to help her realize that potential. So Maddie took a chance and nominated her for the Global Young Leaders Conference this past June in New York City and Washington, DC. 

It worked! Ruari (from Tramore, Ireland) was chosen to attend and could not have been more grateful. “I want to thank you for this amazing opportunity; it was one of the most fun and educational experiences I have ever had,” she told Maddie after completing the conference. “I met people from around the world and got to compare the similarities and differences of various cultures.”

Presented by national education organization Envision, the Global Young Leaders Conference takes students on a 10-day journey to both New York City and Washington, DC, for an out-of-classroom learning experience and rigorous curriculum. Along the way, they gain the confidence, independence, skills, and global competitiveness required of the next generation of leaders. And, for Ruari, incredible memories she will carry with her always.

“We toured the United Nations building, spoke with a representative from the World Bank, visited the Philippines Embassy, even talked with an actual diplomat,” she shared. “I also got to indulge my fascination for history as we visited the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and the Holocaust Museum in DC, as well as learned about the big five monuments in Washington.”

She was equally excited about the conference centerpiece—the Global Summit simulation that lets students put their communication, decision making, goal setting, and negotiation skills into practice in a real-world setting. “We were assigned to represent a nation and come up with a resolution in response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Ruari said. “I represented the United Kingdom and worked on SDG number four, quality education. My resolution was a finalist but did not make it through the last round of eliminations. I also was elected to serve as a secretary for the UK, a position that allowed me to make and record deals with the six other countries at the conference.”

Her success and accomplishments at the event came as no surprise to Maddie. “Ruari embodies what it means to be a global human,” she said. “She actively seeks out other perspectives and hopes to understand how the world works with the aim of making it a better place. Ruari continues to develop a growth mindset and operates as an independent and thoughtful student and citizen. She was an excellent candidate for a program like this.”

The most amazing part of the program for Ruari, however, was the connections she made, most of them international. “My closest friends at the conference were from countries such as Kuwait, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the Cayman Islands, Turkey (I can now speak a few Turkish sentences!), New Zealand, Brazil, Guatemala, Argentina, and Japan,” she explained. “It was so fascinating to compare our different backgrounds and learn about their cultures. I truly hope that I will stay in contact with them and maybe one day work alongside them.”

Spoken like a true leader!