Ryan Leone is the epitome of a student-athlete. Not only is he a captain and skill player for Sachem East’s undefeated varsity football team, but he’s spent his high school career piling up academic honors and accolades that some kids can only dream about.
Leone, who has rushed for more than 100 yards in each of Sachem East’s first two games this season, was selected as the 2014 Governor of the New York American Legion Boys State. Additionally, he was selected to Boys Nation, a youth leadership program run by the American Legion that tries to inform some of the country’s best and brightest youth about the practice of government.
In all of the 49 participating states (Hawaii is excluded), there is a Boys State program where students who just completed their junior year are selected to go for one week and learn about government, democracy, and leadership, according to Leone.
There are 98 students who are selected across the nation and they are truly the “best of the best” and learn about government through hands-on experiences with debating and passing legislature, discussing controversial topics, and holding elections for offices.
“It was a tremendous honor and privilege to be selected for Boys Nation,” said Leone. “The whole week really opened my eyes to the difficulty that our Senators face when trying to approve legislation. The program not only helped me to develop lasting friendships with brilliant kids from across the nation, but it also gave me a whole new appreciation for the inner workings of our government that we can’t often see.”
Leone is also senior class president, co-president of the Foreign Language Honor Society, secretary of the National Honor Society and publicity director for a number of other school organizations. He is also a member of the Sachem East varsity track and field team.
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro