The majority of students attend a State Leadership Seminar after being nominated by their schools. If you’re not sure about your school’s involvement with HOBY, check with your sophomore counselors or administrators–they are often our main contact person! If your school contact doesn’t know about HOBY, let us know and we will connect with them.

All high school sophomores are eligible to attend HOBY State Leadership Seminars. If your school is not able to participate in HOBY, if you attend a home school or virtual school, or if you are interested in being nominated by a community member please contact us!

All students are required to have their pre-seminar forms filled out. These forms allow us to collect medical & emergency contact info, dietary needs, t-shirt size, and other important details. These forms will be emailed to you closer to the seminar dates.

Please bring comfortable clothing, walking shoes, and some layers, as we will split our time between the outdoor weather and air conditioned indoor spaces.

We’ll be staying in Loyola dorms, which provide a basic set of linens to each student (this includes sheets, a pillow, a blanket, a towel, and a washcloth) Please plan on packing anything else you’ll need for our weekend together.

Don’t forget your toothbrush, toiletries, or charger! We’ll add a full packing list to this site closer to the seminar dates.

Check in will happen on the morning of June 7th. You can pogram the address 1110 W Sheridan Rd, Chicago, IL 60660 into your phone or GPS. This address is the location of the nearest parking garage to our dorm. HOBY volunteers will be ready to greet you here and direct you to check in!

Exact arrival times will be provided closer to the seminar dates.

Students and Families will meet the HOBY team, then students will get their name tag and grab their dorm room key. If any items are missing from your pre-seminar forms we’ll complete them together.

Ambassadors will be housed in a typical freshman dorm with a HOBY roommate. We’ll ask that family members say goodbye downstairs, and allow their HOBY ambassador to move into their room and start their activities from there!

A flier with information on the closing ceremony will be provided for family members to take away.

HOBY ILN 2024 runs from the morning of Friday June 7th to the afternoon of Sunday June 9th.

During the seminar, you’ll be put into a small group with leaders from across the state. Typically small groups have about 10 ambassadors, a Jr. Facilitator, and a Sr. Facilitator. Your group will complete activities, participate in challenges, hear keynotes and panels, explore what leadership means, and get to know your individual leadership styles.

HOBY runs a full day! You’ll be scheduled from breakfast til bedchecks each day.

Check out the Seminar Info tab for more details on what the HOBY program is like.

Families are invited to attend a short program Sunday afternoon in our auditorium space. You’ll learn what your ambassador has been up to and hear more about the HOBY organization.

Immediately following the family program, the HOBY ambassadors will join us in the auditorium to begin the seminar’s closing ceremonies. Together we’ll reflect on the weekend, share a video wrap up, and officially bring HOBY to a close.

Check out will happen directly out of our closing ceremonies. Ambassadors will have already turned in their dorm keys and packed their things, so your family should plan to depart from there.