State Rep. Rebecca Kubacki was the guest speaker at the KYLA banquet May 7. She told the crowd everybody has the potential to be a leader.

The guest speaker at the Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy banquet May 7 in Warsaw was State Rep. Rebecca Kubacki. It was her first public appearance since being defeated in the primary election May 6.

She told the audience while “life will go on,” she is proud of what she accomplished in her four years in office, including those who were affected by domestic abuse.

Kubacki’s topic was “What makes a leader?” She said everybody has the potential to be a leader. She talked about Ryan White, a young boy from Kokomo who had AIDS. She said the school administration were true leaders while White was in school. Those administrators included the principal, the superintendent and teachers; White died in 1990.

Next, she talked about a book, “I Am Malala,” she recently read. The book is about a young Pakistani girl who was shot at point-blank range in the head by the Taliban while riding the bus home from school.

She was shot in the head in October 2012 when she was 15 years old; few expected her to survive. When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, Malala Yousafzai spoke out and refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education. Yousafzai, who is 16 now, was the youngest person to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. She said she encouraged people to read the book about Yousafzai’s inspiring story.

“When we speak up, we are true leaders,” Kubacki said, adding, “we need leaders especially women.”

Kubacki asked what is leadership? It is standing up when you see injustice, said Kubacki. “I’ve had so many role models in my life,” she said. One of her role models was her teacher who helped her to learn English in elementary school.

Kubacki is one of seven children. When she was a young girl her parents, who were migrant workers, and Kubacki were coming back from Florida. Her father stopped at a store and gave his children treats Christmas Day. Kubacki said her father was a true leader.