Alumni Spotlight

Luke Conroy

Conroy attended the seminar in 2017 as a representative from Noble High School. He is currently studying Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Business Administration at the University of New Hampshire with an anticipated graduation in May 2023.

He took the time to answer some questions about his Maine Youth Leadership experience and how it has impacted his life. Keep reading to learn more about this outstanding alum.

How do you show the MYL pillar of volunteerism in your daily life?

At UNH I am a part of a club called STEMbassadors. As a group we travel to many local elementary schools in the area and teach them the importance of science, engineering, technology and math (STEM). We do this through fun activities such as building simple robots, designing ‘theme park rides,’ and doing egg drops. The kids all enjoy the fun activities (and the escape from regular schoolwork) and seeing them do so is incredibly rewarding. We hope that our work inspires the next generation of future scientists, mathematicians and engineers. Unfortunately due to COVID-19, this past year we have been unable to go to schools, but we are looking to do as soon as it is safe.

On a more day to day basis, I take pride helping others with schoolwork around me. I work as a Learning Assistant for a physics course at UNH and so far I have really enjoyed it. Along with a professor, I help students learn and get through difficult problems. It is satisfying seeing the students overcome what they don’t often initially think that they can do.

Less formally, I often find myself helping my friends with their work as well. I am not a procrastinator, so I often finish my homework long before others. For this reason, I am usually by my friends’ side when they find it difficult and I am happy to help them.

How do you show the MYL pillar of character in your daily life?

Growing up, I was taught from a young age that character is what you do when no one else is looking. Between that and how my parents shaped me, I am proud to say that my character is one of my own strongest pillars. I strive to be kind, and caring to everyone, and help whenever I can. I often find this closely linked to volunteerism because the more you help others, the stronger and purer your character becomes. As cliché as it sounds, if you simply treat others the way you would like to be treated, everything else falls right into place as well.

How do you show the MYL pillar of leadership in your daily life?

Many see leadership as being a protagonist and being a hero, but I certainly do not believe this to be the case. Often being a leader is stepping up when no one else will and doing the job that many others find difficult. However, the important part is to lead with consensus and agreement of those around you. Often I find myself leading in projects in school because I am organized and willing to time manage. But when I break down tasks and assign these, I always ensure that I am doing what the group thinks is right. This is what is most important of all. Everyone will work more diligently if they feel that they are part of the team. This then makes it easier to do work, but do work on times.

How would you say MYL impacted your trajectory in life? (the decisions you made, the things you did, etc.)

MYL has drastically changed who I am as a person. I realized that every single person on this Earth has their own story, their own life and their own challenges. I learned that despite all of these things, through kindness you can commune with anyone. By simply smiling, holding a door, or helping one up, you can change a person’s day. Even if you never speak to that person again, there is a little more goodness in the world. Hopefully as more of that spreads, there will be more bonds made and a greater community of compassion and love can be formed.

MYL taught me that by better understanding one another, we are all bettering our community as a whole. Although that may begin very small, perhaps just with the MYL alums, the more that are out there doing it, the better the world becomes.

Did any MYL relationship help you along your way? (JC, SF, AC, fellow alum, etc.) and if so, how?

The network of connections and friendships that I have made through MYL is extraordinary. Some of my best friends were and still are fellow alums, roommates and Co-JCs. I truly cherish these friendships and they continue to support me throughout where I am today. Without a doubt I have made lifelong friendships at Maine Youth Leadership.

What is the legacy you want to leave behind?

I want to leave a legacy of kindness in my wake. I want to be remembered not so much for what I accomplished, but rather what I did for others and how I had brightened their days.

What is your fondest memory from your MYL experience?

My fondest memory was my ambassador year when we did the final reflection on our last night. After we broke off into groups, we reconvened, and all gathered to share some of the thoughts we had come up with. I was one of the first to go and I remember telling everyone to take the kindness, love and community felt here and let it power through their everyday lives from that point on. My words flowed with such compassion and I truly wanted everyone to believe what I had said. Then, one ambassador stood up and started clapping. I do not remember how many others followed suit, but knowing that I had touched at least that one person made my heart swell with joy.

What might someone be surprised to learn about you?

I lived in Africa for a year and a half as a kid!

What gives you hope?

What gives me hope is that everyone will have a life changing experience sometime throughout their years like I had MYL.

What gets you particularly fired up?

When simple things don’t work the way they are supposed to. That is why I am an engineer however, to fix all of that.

How does your MYL experience impact your everyday work and/or life?

MYL has made me a more compassionate and caring person. I try to make a connection with everyone that I interact with and I hope to leave them knowing that I genuinely cared. The world is all one community. Why not try and make it a better place?

Any fun hobbies?

I am an avid hiker and backpacker. I am currently trying to complete all of the 4000 footers in New Hampshire. I have hiked 44/48. I hope that by the time I graduate I will have hiked all of the 4000 footers in New England!

If you are a Maine Youth Leadership alum and you’d like to share your story, please email Maria NeCastro at mariatnecastro@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading!

[Published online: 4/5/2021]