Finding the Leader In You

I wrote a poem to give you an idea of where I use to stand and where I am at now in terms of leadership in general.

Queen of the followers
was I back in the days
till it struck me one day.
I paused and asked myself "why not me?"
Did I lack the leadership trait?
Why am I not qualified to be in the driver's seat?
Discerned a leader is born and not created.
Little did I realize
it is a phase
a leader goes through.
One needs to learn to obey
before they can become a leader.
Achievable is a leader figure
I declare from experience
slowly but surely
the transformation I encountered
an elevation to the greater stage--a leader.
Make it your dream, your goal
a dream that will never be deferred
and dry up like a raisin in the sun.
Grasp on to it till you get it
for the future belongs to you
if you believe in the beauty of your dream.

      If you are in the same boat as I was, come attend the 7^th Annual Leadership Conference and be one step closer. I guarantee you that it will be a life changing experience.

- Edom Tsegaye, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Oh, the Things You'll Learn...

As my winter break comes to an end, I have begun thinking about the new semester that will soon be upon every college student.  Once the spring semester starts, the Leadership Conference will also be quick in arriving.  The decorations have been ordered and some program proposals have been received.  In a little over a month, the 7^th Annual Manhattanville Leadership Conference will take place.

 

This year’s conference is titled “Being a Showstopper, Finding Your Leadership Voice” and focuses on self-discovery.  While the theme relates to one’s speaking ability, the conference deals with much more.   It concerns our ability as college students to grow into good leaders who will support the communities they live and participate in.

Each aspect of the conference is being handled by different RAs of Manhattanville College.  Simply organizing the conference has helped me gain additional skills I did not have before.  My partner and I are focused on the menu for the conference and the decorations. This conference has not even happened yet and I have already learned tools that will help me in becoming a better leader. 

Please attend Manhattanville’s Leadership Conference on February 18^th, 2012.

- Alexis Moore, Manhattanville Leadership Conference Committee member

2012: A New Year

At 11:59 on Saturday night, I watched the New Year's Ball drop in Times Square from my television. Like many others, I thought of the New Year and what I could do with it. For many of us, a new year is more than just a change of a number on our calendars. A new year means new beginnings, new opportunities, and a whole new mindset. Admittedly, I am not one for keeping my New Year's Resolutions. Though I create astronomically long lists every December 31st of all of things I would like to do better for the upcoming year, I tend to get tired of trying to change my awful habits by January 2nd. Considering I just spent this January 2nd eating Chicken Fried Chicken at Cracker Barrel, I think it's safe to say that I have already given up on the "EAT HEALTHY!" bullet point on my list.

Even though my habits sometimes remain the same, the world is changing. This is my last year at Manhattanville College, and I will have to leave no matter what. I can hide behind school books, the programming binder, and my friends all I want, but I have now reached the year that I will graduate from college. In elementary school I used to count the numbers on my fingers and say, "I will graduate from college in (gasp!) 2012!!",  never thinking that a number that large could ever exist. But alas, here we are. 

I simply do not have the time to delay the changes, the resolutions, and the improvements. I have reached the point in my life where I can either accept my Cracker Barrel eating self for who I am, or make the very big decision of changing. Either way, I must do what is right for me; I must find my own voice. (In case you were wondering, that WAS a shameless plug-in for the Leadership Conference. It's on Saturday, February 18th, 2012 in Reid Castle, by the way,)

The time is now. Are you ready?

- Lisa Marie Hunt, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member

Defining A "Leader"

Leader: (noun) 1. A person who leads or commands a group, organization or community.

                                   2. A person followed by others.

This is how a leader is defined by the Dictionary; however there are many other ways to be a good leader.  I believe that being a good leader incorporates many different aspects of your own character.

v  A good leader is secure in their abilities and feels confident in their decision making. 

v  A good leader is someone who does not look to others to make their decisions; they can make their own and feel confident with the decision, but is also not afraid to admit when they are wrong. 

v  A great leader can be anyone of us but we need to tools to take what we know and use it to help others. 

A leader can be a good friend or someone who helps others and gives back to the community.  Being a leader is something everyone can do.  This year’s Leadership Conference promises to help us find our “leadership voice”.  We will have the opportunity to learn the tools that we need to make our voice heard and impact those around you.  We hope you will take away all the tools you need to become a leader or become a stronger leader in your community.  We are lucky to be put in the position that we are in because it gives us the opportunity to influence those around us and hopefully impact our peers for the better.  

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader”.

John Quincy Adams

I can't wait to see you all at the 7th Annual Manhattanville Leadership Conference. 

-Elizabeth Terlizzi, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee (since 2009) and Senior RA

Manhattanville College Leadership Conference: A Look Back

My name is Melat and this is my blog.

I remember the first time I heard about the Manhattanville College Annual Leadership Conference. As a person that enjoys organizing, and as a student who is still trying to learn the ins and outs of the game, the Leadership Conference seemed like a wonderful idea. So, the next year, I joined the Leadership Conference Committee.

Last year, we all had a wonderful time. In the morning, we all had the chance to get together and meet other fellow students. And throughout the day, we enjoyed presentation from students, faculty and staff. We spiced our day with some lunch and relaxed with yoga. To say the least, our day was nothing short of fun.

And now, only a few months away from the next Annual Leadership Conference, the excitement is building and we are all working hard to meet the high expectations. Passing on my rather late thank you to all those who attended last year’s conference and gave us their comment, on behalf of the Leadership Conference Committee, I would like to invite you all to join us for the 7^th Annual Leadership Conference.

-Melat Gebremichael, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Member (since 2009)

Welcome Back to the Manhattanville College 7th Annual Leadership Conference Blog

Hi All!

Welcome, or for some of you, welcome back to the Manhattanville College Annual Leadership Conference blog page! This page was created to keep all of our followers up-to-date on conference happenings, hear candid insight from the members of the Leadership Conference committee and give readers the opportunity to share information with conference planners and other student leaders on the topic of leadership. This will be a go-to hub of information about all things leadership. And don't forget to save the date for this year's conference which will take place on the campus of Manhattanville College on Saturday, February 18, 2011 at 8:30AM in Reid Castle.

This year as we began planning the conference and explored topics and themes of interest to student leaders at Manhattanville and beyond, we did some deep soul searching to determine what we thought every student leader needed to know to be successful during and after college. The answer was very clear and very simple....you need to know YOURSELF! So this year, our theme, “BE A SHOWSTOPPER: Finding Your Leadership Voice” will address the age old question, "Who am I, how do I share who I am or 'find my voice' within the world?" Let us help you find out! From exploring topics of career choice to self-advocacy in the community to resolving conflict in the classroom/workplace, we will explore all things that will encourage you to be a better leader by encouraing you to be your "authentic self" (Thanks Oprah!). 

This blog will be updated each week, featuring a special guest blogger from the Leadership Conference committee, who will update you on the current happenings of the committee, offer exciting updates for the conference and their own personal reflections on how they are "finding their leadership voice." We encourage everyone to feel free to leave feedback, ask questions and utilize this space to connect with other student leaders from all over the world. We hope that this blog will become a great platform to share ideas, answer questions and help every student become the best student leader that they can possibly be.

Keep an eye out for information regarding how to get involved in the Manhattanville Leadership Conference as well as information on how to register for the conference in the next few weeks. And as always, if you are interested in getting more involved by presenting on a topic related to our theme, "BE A SHOWSTOPPER: Finding Your Leadership Voice," feel free to contact anyone on the committee or reach out to us at our email leadershipconference@mville.edu. We are looking to have everyone get involved!  

I'm so excited to be a part of this great event and I hope everyone will be inspired to come out and get involved -- by presenting, by volunteering, by attending or just by commenting on this blog. There is no time like the present to "Find Your Leadership Voice." I hope you will join us on Saturday, February 18, 2011 ! Have a relaxing break and wonderful holiday season and we’ll be seeing you soon!

-Kia Brown, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee Co-Chair

Thank You to All for Your Participation in the Manhattanville College 6th Annual Leadership Conference!

            It’s been a few weeks since our 6^th Annual Leadership Conference, and as the committee is busy sifting through the evaluations to determine the success of the conference we all wanted to give a major thank you out to the following, without whom the conference would not have been as great as it was:

Ada Gallo, Director of Business Affairs & Conference Services

Adelphi University

Adventures in Advertising/AIA Team Sports

Campus Safety & Security

Chartwells

Copy Center

Crestline

Dr. Doug Geiger, Vice President of Student Affairs

Duchesne Center

Information Technology

Joshua Fredenburg, America’s Generation Y Leadership Expert

Media Services

Mercy College

Office of Residence Life

Office of Student Activities

Physical Plant

President Molly Smith

Purchase College

Queens College

SMG

Syracuse University

Touchstone

WMVL

And finally, all of our presenters!

            The conference has received amazing overall reviews, so a special thank you to those who attended and provided feedback, it really means a lot to the committee that you enjoyed the conference.

            We are now getting ready to begin preparations for next year’s conference, the 7^th Annual Manhattanville Leadership Conference! If you have any more feedback you would like to provide the committee with as we start looking to the future, please email the committee at leadershipconference@mville.edu.

            Thank you again to all who were able to make the conference such a success! It would not have been so great without you!

- Nina Wladkowski, Manhattanville College Leadership Conference Committee