By Bella Sullivan, Marketing and Events Coordinator

Kaleb Sy first began to explore the world of service-learning when he became a Youth Advisory Council (YAC) member for the National Youth Leadership Council (NYLC) in 2022, a pivotal moment in his leadership journey. The YAC embodies NYLC’s commitment to fostering authentic youth voice and leadership, as young people are empowered to become service-learning trainers, builders of community, champions of NYLC, board members, and more.

Before joining the YAC, Kaleb was an active community member, involved in his Student Government Association, EdTrust-Tennessee—a youth policy advocacy group—and Memphis Shelby County Schools Student Congress. Now a sophomore at Columbia University, Kaleb mentors NYLC’s current YAC members and serves on NYLC’s Board of Directors while striving towards law school. 

Kaleb’s initial motivation for joining the YAC was simple: he wanted to learn more about service-learning. Recognizing that NYLC could deepen his understanding of service-learning, Kaleb embraced his role on the YAC to examine its broader national impact.

“[NYLC] was really my first exposure to service-learning,” Kaleb said “I’ve always just been active in my community… I wanted to expand and broaden my base and go more national and see how other states do things, and what strategies I could learn from them.” 

By networking with peers and educators from across the country, Kaleb was able to ask himself, “how can this improve my work back home in Memphis?”

While Kaleb was on the YAC, he and his peers were tasked with putting together a presentation for NYLC’s International Service-Learning Forum. “At first I was really nervous about it, but it ended up going well and we had very positive feedback,” shared Kaleb. “I think that putting aside our own individual selves and coming together as a collective to exact an outcome was probably one of my most memorable moments from my time on the Youth Advisory Council.” This experience reinforced his belief in the transformative power of collaboration, highlighted the enduring impact of collective leadership, and ultimately strengthened his friendships with other members of the YAC.

This moment of collective action also emphasized the importance of empathy, collaboration, and selflessness—values that Kaleb has since carried with him to other leadership positions. In these high-stress, sink or swim situations, Kaleb has learned about the importance of collaboration and teamwork. 

“We ended up swimming, but we swam together because we were able to put ‘I’ to the side and become ‘we’ as a group,” he said.

For Kaleb, the key to effective leadership lies in being personable, relatable, and intentional. He emphasizes the importance of being authentic and coming to leadership opportunities with an open mind. “You don’t have to put on a show,” he says. “Come as you are.” He encourages other young leaders to be ready to learn, to disagree with empathy, and to be accountable for their actions. To Kaleb, leadership is about more than simply checking off boxes or fluffing a résumé—it’s about making a difference in the lives of others, even when it’s not for personal gain.

As Kaleb continues his academic journey at Columbia, he remains focused on his long-term goals in politics and law. Being on the YAC affirmed his passion for civic engagement and social impact, providing him with the tools and confidence to pursue his dreams. His experience with NYLC highlights the lasting impact of service-learning and youth leadership, both of which are at the heart of NYLC’s work. Through initiatives like the YAC, NYLC equips young leaders with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to lead, fostering generations of leaders committed to creating a better world because we believe that The Future of Leadership Starts Here.

Kaleb’s leadership path reflects how NYLC is equipping young people to create lasting change. Now, we’re preparing for our next BIG step! Join us for our February 12th event to discover how NYLC is evolving and growing, with exciting new opportunities to empower even more young people in the decades to come.