By YM/Sgt Angelo Ocboa Tarrant County (TX) This year I was selected to go to the National Senior Leader- ship School. The fun that I had on the trip was unforgettable. From the classes to writing ditties with YM/Sgt Ortega, I can say without any doubt that I don’t regret going to SLS. One thing that I feel the schools do well is that they create a sense of comradeship. Especially when it comes to the Bays. From Lasky Bay to my bay (Moreno Bay),the bays help to create a sense of family. On the first couple of days it may take a while for everyone to find their place, but the schools do a great job in making ev- eryone feel welcome.The classes in SLS may feel long, but are made as entertaining as possible by the Advanced Leadership School Young Marines. Someone who made the experience enjoyable was GySgt Forbes and the rest of ALS staff who kept us motivated to get through the week. Lastly, the academy activities (see the hu- man American flag we made, above) was one of the most en- joyable things about SLS. I highly recommend that any Young Marine take the oppor- tunity to go to a leadership school, either national or local. I guarantee that It will be an amazing experience for you. HH H H HH National Leadership School: Highly Recommended for YMs By YM/Cpl Travis Finning Poudre River (CO) I attended National Junior Leader- ship School in July. This was a great experience, because I was able to learn so many new things. When I arrived at JLS,I was nervous about what the academy would be like. The first couple of days were a bit rough because I really didn’t know what was going to happen. As the week went on, I began to learn. We also got into our class- es and here I learned many new marching movements, like flanking movements, oblique, and new cadences. I was able to improve my marching abil- ity. I also learned land navigation skills. When we started the class I was clueless as to what was going on.As the day con- tinued, I learned how to use a compass. The next day they took us to a point and dropped us off and we had to find our way from point to point. My group was able to navigate to each point successfully. We also had a course to help build confidence in ourselves. We went to an obstacle course to help with this. When I started it, I was scared, but as we did more I gained confidence with the heights and jumps. By the end, I was able to go through it easily. My overall experience was great! I was able to learn many new things and make many new friends. I was for- tunate to be able to attend National JLS as the recipient of the YM Alumni Association’s SPACES Scholarship. I am thankful that they helped make it possible for me to attend. I will re- member this experience for a long time to come and I’m grateful for the opportu- nity to attend and to meet so many new people and share this experience with them. I Learned So Many New Things and Made New Friends at JLS THE LEADERSHIP SCHOOLS: JLS • SLS • ALS 16 YOUNG MARINES ESPRIT Online