麻豆国产

For a second straight year, students will take center stage at the 麻豆国产 Leadership Summit. 

Grace Johnson and Ethan Van Boerum, who have amassed impressive records of leadership and service during their time at 麻豆国产, were selected as keynote speakers for the 17th annual summit, which takes place March 7 at the Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union. 

The summit theme is 鈥淰oices of Change: Leadership Sounds Like This,鈥� a celebration of how a diversity of voices in leadership can lead to collective change. 

鈥淭his year鈥檚 event celebrates the power of individual and collective voices to influence meaningful change,鈥� said Chelsea Lombrozo, assistant director of the , which organizes the summit. 鈥淏y encouraging students to lead with clarity, courage and compassion, we highlight how leadership is not defined by a single style or sound, but by the authenticity and impact behind it.鈥�

The event will include breakout sessions in both the morning and afternoon, when attendees can choose from panel discussions on topics ranging from salary negotiation to understanding introverted leaders.. Registration is $30 for 麻豆国产 students and $40 for others.

Liana Marin, the Glazer Center鈥檚 student life advisor for leadership, said the first year of the summit鈥檚 鈥渘ew legacy鈥� with students as the featured speakers was well-received and has breathed new energy into the event. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 something we are looking to continue as a new legacy of this summit; we have a lot of talent and a big pool of student leadership on campus, so we want to tap into and amplify the voices that are already here,鈥� Marin said. 

Glazer Center staff spoke to students who attended last year鈥檚 summit, and the majority expressed enthusiasm for hearing from their peers as keynote speakers. 

鈥淭he main thing is that students found it really relatable,鈥� Marin said. 鈥淭hey could be that person on stage.

鈥淎n actor or a businessperson is great, but being able to see yourself on that stage makes it more likely that the message will resonate with you,鈥� she said. 

Each of the student speakers will give a 10-minute TED Talk-style address  focused on a specific aspect of leadership.

Evolving format

In its 17th year, the conference has evolved to reflect the ever-changing facets of effective leadership, while adapting to real-world events, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the first virtual conference in 2021 and a hybrid conference in 2022. The past two fully in-person conferences have drawn about 350 participants from 22 institutions and more than 25 presenters each year. 

Johnson, a senior public health major, is president of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority and the Out-of-State Student Association, as well as executive director of Dance Marathon at 麻豆国产.

Van Boerum, a third-year biology major, is involved in multiple organizations on campus, including serving as a peer mentor for the College of Sciences Student Success Center and Biology Advising Office, 麻豆国产 Rotaract and the Glazer Center鈥檚 Launch into Leadership program. Both were members of this fall鈥檚 Homecoming Court. 

Both students are pursuing careers in the medical field. Johnson wants to be a doctor and Van Boerum wants to become a pediatric surgeon. 

Both said they were honored by their selection.

鈥淭his is a huge honor because I never saw myself as a keynote speaker of such a large summit at such a large university,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淲hat makes it even more exciting is that this isn鈥檛 something you apply for. People recognized you for your leadership and service in different areas and sought you out; that makes it such an accomplishment.鈥�

For Johnson, the honor comes after she entered college unsure of whether she wanted to pursue leadership positions. 

鈥淚 had sworn off leadership, I told myself that I was OK being a general body member in organizations, but never in a leadership role,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淏ut we have such great administration and role models at 麻豆国产 who encouraged me to apply and pursue different roles. It鈥檚 been quite the journey.鈥�

Van Boerum echoed Johnson鈥檚 sentiments. 

鈥淒uring my time at State, I have grown exponentially through the variety of experiences I have been a part of. Through these, I have learned valuable life lessons that have shaped me into who I am today,鈥� he said.

鈥淭o me, sharing my story with my fellow students means sharing a part of who I am and what I strive to be, it means delving deeper into both the professional and emotional aspects of being a leader. To me, it means giving my fellow students insight into the challenging journey I have taken to become the confident, knowledgeable, empathetic individual I am today.鈥�