Good morning, Hopkinton! Welcome to the daily update we call Hopkinton Today — a quick recap of yesterday’s news, highlights of what’s on tap, and a photo of the day.

Youth leadership seminar teaches HHS student value of diversity, action

Ritisha Choudhury (fifth from left) poses for a photo at the HOBY Leadership Seminar at Bentley University in June with fellow student ambassadors.

Rising Hopkinton High School junior Ritisha Choudhury spent two days this past June learning more about youth leadership at a statewide seminar.

The Hugh O’Brian Youth State Leadership Seminar (HOBY), which was held June 5-7 this year, brings together student ambassadors from across their respective states for “facilitated dialogue and abilities-based workshops” as a way of building youth leadership skills and helping students understand their leadership values. The event for Massachusetts, which featured one student ambassador from each town in the commonwealth, was held at Bentley University.

“One weekend at a HOBY seminar unlocks a student’s leadership potential and helps them gain the confidence to make a positive impact on the world around them,” according to the HOBY website.

Choudhury noted that one of the lessons she took away was that the positive impact she could make does not have to be related to a grander cause. She relayed her experience hearing one speaker during the event discuss their passion for diabetes care and research. She said she realized her leadership interests “didn’t have to be something super popular.”

Another lesson Choudhury took away from the weekend was the need for different perspectives in group dynamics. One of the exercises, she explained, had the participants grouped together with similar traits after taking a personality test. They then were tasked with building a birdhouse.

“We thought it would be better because we all had the same personality,” recalled Choudhury. “We found we actually clashed a lot.”

The lessons learned from the seminar highlight how being a leader is as much about action as it is about discussion, Choudhury noted. She plans to bring the insight she has gained back into the community, remaining involved with groups like the Gender Equity Movement club at HHS.

“Leadership is about caring about something and making the choice to do something about it,” she stated in a follow-up. “A leader is defined by their actions, not their words.”

— NICK SCHOFIELD

Latest News

This week’s Real Estate Transactions list shows nine sales, including one for $1.7 million.

Russell Shine, 78, formerly of Hopkinton, passed away July 28.

Christopher Whalen, 59, died July 29. He was a former resident of Hopkinton.

Town meetings tonight include the Select Board (6) and Historical Commission (7).

Photo of the Day

Flowers around the Claflin Fountain soak up rain from a storm on Monday.

PHOTO/NICK SCHOFIELD