by: Lindsay Cox
The theme for the weekend of Nov. 18 was that of leadership. Last Friday, eleven of our very own student leaders attended the ICCSAA Leadership Conference held in Joliet, Illinois. Like any new experience, the group of eleven started their journey with a hint of nervousness. The students were from many different nationalities and backgrounds, but they all had one thing in common which was the desire to learn about being stronger leaders.
At the awards banquet, Parkland received an honorable mention for the Ed Snyder Merit Book Award from the Illinois Community College Student Activities Association (ICCSAA). A merit book is a binder that showcases the activities and services provided by various organizations at Parkland.
The banquet also had an inspirational guest speaker, Toby Causby. Causby moved the audience with his speech titled, “Leadership and the Immortal Band-Aid Lady.” Toby spoke of how everyone wants to lead for the sake of the title, but how servants are the real leaders. Causby emphasized that the world is in in dire need of leaders who put others needs before their own.
Leaders aren’t born, they are made; we can all be a servant-leader. After the speech, the student leaders broke out into round table discussions where they shared ideas about what each of their clubs were doing, how to improve them and how to better serve each of our communities.
Being able to network with others who value growth and the well-being of others was an amazing experience for the leaders. The night ended with various forms of entertainment and snacks where all attendees of the events were able to engage with one another.
Saturday started early for everyone. After breakfast, the students each chose two breakout sessions to attend in hopes of learning something new. Breakout sessions are educational forums on how to improve leadership skills.
Deb Kroeger of Joliet Junior College lead a discussion about what is means to be mindful. Jorge Tennin from the College of Lake County discussed how racism affects us and what can be done to start changing it. Paul Schroeder, also from Joliet Junior College lead an interesting session called “Chainsaw Philanthropy,” where he taught on the practical application of volunteering to leadership. Megan Scalan of McHenry County College consulted others on how personality influences relationships and contributes to your health and well-being. Lindsay Cullen presented a PowerPoint on translating activities into experience on to resumes. Jana Koch demonstrated how activities can help to motivate teams to work together to develop their strength and address any weaknesses. Kady Halbmaier, MLD., spoke on the importance of self-care and development.
Last, but not least, Josh Clark from Parkland College informed others of the benefits of joining Americorps. Americorps, a national service program, offers a variety of opportunities and can help to achieve educational and career goals. Clark served with Americorps NCCC and Americorps VISTA and was willing to share his experience with others.
Post breakout sessions, lunch was served, following another round table discussion. Once the discussion ended, the students from Parkland teamed up with other colleges to participate in a few different service projects where they got some first-hand experience on what it means to be a servant leader.
The trip home was bittersweet. The Parkland students on this trip got to know about what club others were apart of, what their clubs were doing and why they were doing it. They were able to get close to each other and hopefully make lasting friendships.
