Over 60 students attended the ‘Make your Mark’ leadership conference hosted by the Humber College office of Student Success and Engagement on Sunday Jan. 26.
The conference was held at North Campus for students who are in leadership roles or hope to be part of them on campus.
Conference Facilitators: (from left) Giselle Herrera, Rebeca Mahadeo
The event was open to all Humber College and University of Guelph-Humber students interested in gaining, improving or mastering their leadership skills in the classroom and workplace. Participants spent the day practicing conflict resolution, breaking communication barriers, and making strong first impressions.
The Student Success and Engagement Leadership Programs Coordinator, Anushay Khan said the conference has the ability to help students make their mark in a unique way.
“It’s really expanding their understanding of leadership and leadership development as a whole,” said Khan. “It helps them to stand out in a crowd”
In her address to the students, Webster University First Year Experience Director and keynote speaker Sarah Tetley encouraged students to make the relationships they develop with their peers count.
“Do it with your own style. Dont try to mimic or duplicate it with another person. It’s just not going to be successful. Look inside and see the kind of strengths you can portray to people and make that work for you,” said Tetly.
Food and Nutrition Management student Aashna Gandotra, 25, said the conference was very helpful in teaching her tips on improving her networking skills.
“I’m generally socially awkward. Though I interact with people everyday, I suck when it comes to making contact with people,” said Gandotra. “I will mostly take the skills I was taught today in that aspect and apply it to my everyday life.”
Meanwhile, Home Renovation Technician student Conor Doyle, 22, said the conference was just a reminder of what he already knew.
“I felt it was like preaching to the choir. I learned a lot of this stuff before, but it was really good. It wasn’t a waste of time. I thought it was very well done,” said Doyle.
