The six-hour event offered speakers, breakout sessions, and an afternoon group activity. Speakers included several Clark State faculty members and officials including President Jo Alice Blondin, and keynote speaker Shawn Harper, who spent seven years in the NFL and is now a motivational speaker.
“It was about inspiring, engagement and creating a sense of belonging,” said Nina Wiley, Clark State Dean of Student Engagement and Support Services. “So many connections were made today. This is their campus, and giving them a sense of belonging with what’s going on will only help in the classroom.”
Students came from diverse groups and areas of study. Daniel Constancio and Sammi Walker said they came out more confident than when they began the day.
“It was a great opportunity to get to know people from the college and how we can be better and more successful in our careers,” said Constancio, who is studying to be a physical therapy assistant.
His key takeaway was perseverance. Between his work and school life, it became too much to do and too little time to do it in, and Constancio now has a better concept of how to balance these demands.
Walker, a mother of three and early childhood education student, has a long history doing online school, including her first year at Clark State. The pandemic caused her to be even more of a homebody, and this semester is a chance to come out of her shell and meet new people by attending classes in person.
The conference not only helped her become more confident in her social skills, but how to deal with her perfectionist tendencies by meeting others who have similar characteristics. Walker’s favorite activity was a diversity bingo game in which the participants found similar characteristics and was a good way to break the ice.
Wiley said the success of this first event means the Student Leadership Conference will be an annual fall semester event at Clark State. She hopes to get more students, staff and faculty involved in 2022 and going forward.