Reporter: Blessing Malunga
Date: January 29, 2025
Marian University emphasizes the importance of their students to learn leadership skills as the Unity center, ancilla college, campus ministries, college of medicine and the 21 scholars got together to create a transformative experience for the Marian students. It held its annual Transformational Leadership conference at the Evan Center on Martin Luther King Day. This conference occupied the whole day from 8:15a.m to 4:30 p.m.
Several students arrived early in the morning and ate breakfast together as a community. The organizers explained the agenda of the day, and gave the students an opportunity to choose which volunteer sites the students would be interested in and receive service hours. Marian’s students were distributed across different volunteer sites, Aspire House, St Vincent thrift store and Pantry. The students participated in community service for 2 hours.
Once the students returned to campus the students had lunch and
moved to the second portion of the conference. The students transitioned to a keynote and Fireside Chat with Dr. LaTonya Turner, Fr. Doug Hunter, Adarius Gardner, President Elsner and Marisa Zambrano. President Elsner spoke about his trials and tribulations leading to him becoming the leader he is today. The other panelists spoke about how it was for them to navigate the leadership world as a minority, and the importance of knowing “your leadership style.”
A lot of the students felt empowered and heard during the keynote sessions.
“I was never the same after the panelists said their piece, it was very inspiring,” Matt Scottdale said, a student who attended the conference.
The students alternated between 2 different breakout sessions. The first session was with Dr. Jeffery Kaufman, addressing the students with a statement on what to do when you have been given authority, how to navigate it and be a good leader who not only understands themselves but also understands others. The second session was with Angelica Smith and Irorobeje Crystal Owhoso-Maddox focusing on “standing on business,” navigating the transformational journey of self-alignment.
These sessions made the students feel fulfilled as the students were being taught how to be leaders in different creative ways.
According to Wynter Hurt, the transformational leadership conference was an experience that she never thought she would experience that goes hand in hand with her job and her life, it was very fun and educational and inspirational.
The students ended their day on a high note, taking everything, they learnt with them and putting them to use in their lives.
