The Office of Student Involvement & Leadership Development (OSILD) is hosting the second annual Leadership Symposium from March 16 to 18. Due to ongoing social distancing measures, this year’s event will be a hybrid of both in-person and virtual activities.
Students who attend the symposium will leave with knowledge and experiences to apply in their own lives and studies. According to the event’s registration page, attendees will “increase their awareness of their personal leadership skills and abilities” and “challenge their perceptions and think critically about real world problems” through a variety of speakers, workshops and presentations.
In one panel, “Straight Talk from Industry Leaders: The Need for the Entrepreneurial Mindset Now and in the New Normal,” students will be able to interact with successful figures in the business world. Among the featured panelists are Marianne Harrison, the president and CEO of John Hancock; Bob Maresca, the CEO of Bose Corporation; and Scott Soares, the owner of Boston Bay Consulting. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, they will talk about the challenges they faced getting to their current positions.
Other presentations include:
“Managing Conflict: A Primer,” presented virtually by Julie Glovin of the Counseling Center; “Let’s Play Prisoner’s Dilemma,” an in-person presentation by Mark Wagner, Ph.D., director of the Binienda Center for Civic Engagement; “The Resilient leader: A Trauma Informed Self-Care Approach to Leadership,” a virtual presentation by Sarah Valois of the Counseling Center; and “The Language of Leadership,” a virtual presentation by Steve Morreale, D.P.A., professor and chair in the Department of Criminal Justice.
For the entire list of presentations, visit https://lead.worcester.edu/2021-sympoisum-program/. [1]
Sarah Potrikus, assistant director of OSILD, is excited about this year’s symposium. Last year’s one-day conference was attended by about 70 students, and it was important to her and her team to offer a similar opportunity this year, despite the obstacles presented by the pandemic.
“While we lose the ability to connect personally with all of the attendees, we are happy that so many facilitators still wanted to lead workshops for our students. We wanted to make sure we did something this year because we really see the symposium as an annual event for the next few years,” she says.
Also that week, students can participate in the fifth-annual Backpack to Briefcase, a series of virtual talks by Worcester State alumni, who will offer professional advice for life after graduation. Topics include developing an elevator pitch, securing internships, and writing your resume. See the entire schedule and register here. [2]
Further information about the Leadership Symposium, as well as where you can register, can be found here: https://lead.worcester.edu/leadership-opportunities/leadership-symposium/ [3]
Written by Communications and Marketing intern Patrick Young ’21.