Staff Blogger: Alexis Oatman, Advancement/Communications Intern
This summer, Samantha Rydzinski and Ryan Ebbeskotte will be taking on the roles as the new Teen Leaders at the newly renovated Teen Center.
Rydzinski is a native of Streetsboro, Ohio and a recent graduate of the University of Mount Union where she majored in communication studies and minored in leadership.
After her summer at Lakeside, she plans to continue her studies at Akron University in speech pathology.
Her college friend, Emily Messino, who happens to be Lakeside Chautauqua’s Event Planning Coordinator, recommended that she apply for this new position.
Rydzinski hopes to gain leadership skills, new memories and lifelong friendships this summer.
She agrees that the new Teen Center, with programming in all four Chautauqua pillars, is a wonderful idea for the community and is looking forward to getting to know the teen Lakesiders and developing new programs alongside Casie Eller, Programming Manager, and Ryan Ebbeskotte, the second Teen Leader.
Ebbeskotte is a native of Delphos, Ohio and a graduate of Bluffton University.
He is currently pursuing his MBA at the University of Findlay. While at Findlay, he has worked in the Sports Department as a graduate assistant of media relations, and heard about this Teen Leader position through the school’s online job board.
Ebbeskotte’s dream job is to work within a collegiate athletic department or within the fan experience marketing department of a professional sports team.
This summer, he hopes to gain valuable leadership experience as the Teen Leader and is excited to plan, organize and set up events for the teen Lakesiders.
But the most important goal this summer for both Teen Leaders is to have as much fun as they can here at Lakeside with the teens.
Q & A
Q: What’s a fun fact about you?
Samantha: My brother gave me a dog for Christmas, and his name is Cooper.
Ryan: The Green Bay Packers is the only professional sports team that is publicly owned, and I am a shareholder.
Q: If you could have one famous person as an imaginary friend, who would you pick?
Ryan: I would choose Lebron James. We both have an interest in sports, and he is an extraordinary role model. The Lebron James Foundation is focused on giving young adults from Akron a chance to receive college scholarships. He also brings lots of hope to Cleveland, and I admire his desire to bring a championship to his hometown.
Q: What are three adjectives that do not describe you at all?
Samantha: Tardy – I refuse to be late, it gives me anxiety. Callous – I have a big heart, especially for animals. Lazy – I love having things to do. I don’t know what to do with free time.
