IMPACT Leadership Conference: Building Leaders On and Off Campus
By Mark Dipietro
Editor-in-Chief
On October 20th, 2023, another instance of the IMPACT leadership conference was held in the University Center. The event, put on by a variety of campus partners within the office of student engagement, aimed to be a professional development opportunity for both present and future student leaders. It was a day full of learning, collaboration, and fun!
The event was a day-long event that was broken down into a set of TED-talk style talks given by both Seton Hall staff members and select students. Each speech explored a different facet of leadership as it relates to students. The sessions provided students an opportunity to learn from the human capital within the walls of the campus and collaborate with their fellow classmates in hopes of becoming better overall leaders. Some of the more notable speakers included Assistant Vice President Winston Roberts presenting on healthy masculinity, SGA president and TSX editor Kai Hansen presenting on how to communicate with your team, and Assistant Director Kendra Sherman on how to market student leadership positions on a resume. All three sessions really exemplified the idea of the event and put on display the importance of sessions like this to student leadership.
The day was capped off with a keynote address by Director of the RISE program, Brandon Larmore. Director Larmore ended the day on a high note as he imparted words of wisdom alongside his wit, charm, and humor. He talked about a range of topics from his own personal journey to tips on what makes a good leader to anecdotes that displayed the impact of an individual on other’s lives. Overall, the keynote address perfectly summed up the thesis of the event and sent everyone into their weekends with a smile.
Events like the IMPACT conference represent a renewed push by the office of student engagement for more programming surrounding involvement on campus through student leadership roles. Another instance of this is an event upcoming at the end of October called the Student Leader Information Night, an information session that allows interested students, especially underclassmen, an opportunity to explore leadership roles around campus. As future business leaders, it is essential for Stillman students to continue to participate in these events. Learning as much as possible within the relatively safe confines of the campus community is essential to proper professional development. Strong attendance from underclassmen and current student leaders from all corners of the landscape will hopefully lead to these events continuing to be put on in the future.
Contact Mark at mark.dipietro@student.shu.edu