Hey there guys!  I really hope that everyone had as swell of a winter break as I did.  The experiences I had and the memories I’ve gained will, most likely, never compare to any other trip in the near future.  My holiday break started out with a kind invitation from a NSHSS staff member to join them on their vacation over the New Year.  Of course I took the opportunity; who could turn down an excursion to Bali and South Korea?!  (Shout out to any of our members in these countries!) The temperature differences in each of these countries lead to a “little” over packing.  You can never carry too much with you in -3 degree Fahrenheit weather! 

We started out our journey in Bali, Indonesia.  It was absolutely gorgeous.  The weather was perfect; 90 degrees Fahrenheit and mostly sunny.  However, the humidity by the equator definitely called for putting some product in my mane.  Once that was taken care of, I was ready to go.  We spent an entire day with the team from Adventure and Spirit Bali canyoning through the jungle and repelling down 100+ foot waterfalls.  The views were gorgeous!  I learned how to surf, of course, from some of the local friends I made while on the island.  The food was great, the temples were beautiful, and overall I simply did not want to leave.  But alas, my trip to Bali came to an end and my NSHSS friend and I packed our bags before heading to South Korea. 

BRRRRR!  South Korea was freezing!  As king of the jungle, I definitely was not prepared for what was in store for me.  In the mornings, I would even ask myself, “Can I just lay in bed where it’s warm all day and still say I’ve been to Korea?”  Unfortunately, that was not the case on this trip.  Instead, to warm my belly, I made sure to eat as much traditional Korean BBQ as I could.  And boy, was it tasty!  The spices in this country were out of this world delicious.  Shopping at the night market was a new experience that awakened so many senses.  There is wonderful bread they cook off of the street called Egg Bread that has a boiled egg baked right in. This was my jam!  My friend and I ended our trip in style…Gangnam style! No, I did not meet Si, but the city of Gangnam was very fun in itself. 

I am now back at the NSHSS International Headquarters and looking forward to the many conferences and member events later this year where I will have the chance to meet you!  Keep the spirit…

Leopold the Lion

Wow!  I can't believe that 2012 is already almost over.  Does anyone else think that this year flew by?  The NSHSS team and I have begun reminiscing over how excellent this year has been, and I stumbled upon some great pictures of myself from The Carter Center event on December 1, 2012.  I think they may have been trying to hide them from me, it's pretty intimidating how good looking I am when my mane is combed out.  

That's all for now!  Happy New Year Scholars! 

Brrr….it is cold in Denver.  Maybe next time I will pack my long sleeved, red NSHSS shirt. I hope everyone learned as much as I did in this event.  We had some really great Educators of Distinction speeches, scholarship recipient speeches and of course Mr. Nobel’s inspiring speech.   The college panel gave some really great advice to the students.  I wish I had known some of this while I was in college.  This event was just wonderful and very informational, but I cannot wait for our annual holiday event at The Carter Center in Atlanta, GA!  We are now planning this event, so I guess I better get back to work…until next time. 

Well hello everyone! The NSHSS staff and I attend the 68^th annual NACAC Conference in Denver this year.  We had a great time meeting counselors and university representatives, but I must say I really enjoyed playing in the snow.  Yes, it snowed in Denver! I was not exactly prepared for the cold front that came in, but I managed to at least borrow a scarf from the NSHSS team…until next time.

I have to say this is one of my favorite events.  What am I say, all of our events are my favorite.  Well, this one is special because it is an NSHSS Foundation event that invites NSHSS members to attend.  It is that special opportunity to ring the closing bell with Mr. Claes Nobel.  What a great experience for the students.  I love seeing everyone’s excitement! That is why I love this event.  Thank you to the NSHSS Foundation for inviting NSHSS members to this once-in-a-lifetime event…until next time.

WOW! This was our biggest and most successful event yet.  I know every time I always say this was the best event ever, but really this was the best event.  This is the most attendees that we have ever had.  I hope you had as much fun meeting members as I did. 

Thank you to all the NSHSS members that attended. You all helped make NSHSS’ 10^th anniversary a huge success and a memorable day.

I cannot wait until next Scholar’s Day, but I guess I have to….until next time!

Hello Everyone!  I know it has been a while since I have blogged.  I have been so busy helping NSHSS with our member events and social media.  It is our 10^th anniversary this year! Wow, how time flies.  I remember when I become the first Ambassador for NSHSS.  Anyway, I promise to be start blogging more often.

Wow – Congratulations to all the NSHSS Staff on a successful event at Rice University.  There were so many great speakers at this event.  I was also so pleased to meet all of the wonderful students at this event.  I look forward to seeing you all at Scholar’s Day in Washington, DC.  We hope that you will help us celebrate our 10 year anniversary!  Until next time…

Wow ─ Georgia Governor Nathan Deal declared December 3, 2011, as National Society of High School Scholars Day to honor outstanding students and educators from around the world! At this event, I met over 450 students, parents, educators and key international notables who all came together to celebrate academic excellence.  This was such a great experience for me, and I hope it was for you all as well.  You all are outstanding!  Until next time…Happy Holidays!

Argh! Well, this year I dressed up in something other than my normal lion costume.  I wanted something more interesting and different − well at least I thought I was being different.  I was a pirate!  I was not the only one in the office dressed up as a pirate.  Of course, I was the pirate that made a few NSHSS employees walk the plank.  No worries − everyone is fine and back at work!  I hope you all a wonderful, fun Halloween like everyone at NSHSS! Happy Halloween Everyone….until next time! 

From New York to New Orleans…My first time in New Orleans was a blast! NSHSS had its first ever Gulf Coast Event at Tulane University. The event capped off our NSHSS participation at the 66th National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC) National Conference.  You may have spotted me at the NSHSS booth talking to some of the high school counselors and college admission representatives! 

With this being my first time in New Orleans, I had to make a little time for tourism fun!  Some NSHSS staff members and I decided to go on a haunted ghost tour.  This was not too scary…I mean after all what can be scarier than a lion? Roar!! Ok, so I am not scary after all! 

I hope you all enjoyed the Tulane event…until next time!

This September, I had the opportunity to participate in the World Diversity Leadership Summit (WDLS) in New York.  For the past four years, the Summit organizers have invited NSHSS staff to participate in the conference, but this is the first time I have been able to attend.  I met representatives from top corporations and government organizations to discuss effective global diversity management.   These representatives were wonderful people with great ideas.  I am glad that some NSHSS members were able to meet them, and have the opportunity to discuss some of their ideas on diversity management.  

Of course this was not the only thing I did in New York.  In between meeting with NSHSS staff and corporations, I volunteered to time sessions and help with registration.  I had the pleasure of meeting NSHSS members from New York at registration! You all are a great group of students! Thank you for sharing this opportunity with the NSHSS staff! Oh wait, there is a zebra…until next time!

Wow! This was the biggest Scholar’s Day ever! Nearly 1200 student member, families, educators, and organizational partners from across the country and abroad gathered on July 29 at The Georgetown University Conference Center in Washington, D.C. to celebrate and recognize excellence during our 8th annual Scholar's Day program!  Everyone on the NSHSS staff, including myself, really enjoyed this event. What a great group of young adults you all are! We were so excited at NSHSS that we have already started planning next year’s Scholar’s Day! If you could not make it this year, we hope that you make plans for the 2012 Scholar’s Day in Washington DC! This event is something that every member should experience….until next time

I had the opportunity last week to head down to Haiti to help this organization, Creative Hope, deliver some formula to an orphanage in Haiti! We were able to deliver almost 400lbs of infant formula, first aid kits, shampoo, and toothpaste to Maison des Enfants de Dieu in Port-Au-Prince. It was certainly a challenge getting all that formula there, but totally worth with the while especially once you start playing with the kids! Although my hair was pulled all the time, the kids were, for the most part, easy on me and I loved putting a smile on so many faces! Here are some pictures from my travels below.