By: Matt Porche/Contributing Writer
The eighth annual Leadership Summit was hosted on Feb. 5 at the Biscayne Bay Campus in the Wolfe University Center. The University-wide leadership conference allowed student leaders, as well as students who were interested in becoming leaders, a chance to network and learn leadership skills.
Throughout the summit, students and faculty of the University held concurrent sessions at different areas of BBC, where students were given advice on different life skills such as becoming effective leaders, handling stress, and creating balance in their lives.
“I think this is a great opportunity for FIU students to be exposed to a number of leadership topics, issues and learning points all in one event,” said Bronwen Bares, associate director for the Women’s Center and a member of the summit’s planning committee.
Bares also believes the summit is a starting point for the University’s emerging leaders.
“We have some of the top campus leaders here at the summit, and this makes this a great place for networking,” Bares said.
The student leaders who were hosting the sessions during the summit had to first submit their presentations to the planning committee for acceptance, according to Bares.
Cynthia Salazar, a graduate student majoring in higher education administration, hosted a session about the new faces of leadership.
“I think students will be motivated to continue their education and develop skills to become the next leaders of the future,” Salazar said.
Beverley Darlymple, who directs the University’s Center for Leadership and Services chairwoman of the summit’s committee, explained this event brings together student leaders from both campuses to allow them to build on their skills and expand their knowledge as well as community leaders, faculty, and alumni to present the workshops.
University President Mark Rosenberg and several leaders of the University made appearances at the summit, along with this year’s keynote speaker, Trish Downing.
Trish Downing earned her master’s degree in sports management, and was heavily involved in sports. After a cycling accident in 2000, she was left paralyzed from the chest down. Although she is now in a wheelchair, Downing continues to compete as a paraplegic athlete, as she is the second female wheelchair racer, and the first female paraplegic, to complete an Ironman distance triathlon. Downing also takes time to motivate students to be leaders and achieve their goals.
At the start of summit, Downing talked to students about overcoming obstacles in their lives.
“Even when I had no idea of what was ahead of me, I didn’t give up,” Downing said as she spoke about the difficulty she faced when she first began competing as a paraplegic. “One of [the] things I realized is that I have a passion, and if I didn’t have a passion for what I do, I wouldn’t have made it where I am today. That passion you strive for will give you something to hold on to.”
After speaking to the students in the theater, Downing later spoke to students in a session she hosted in the WUC ballrooms, where she talked about being a leader by finding balance in life.
Muffy Barbaran, a junior majoring in women’s studies and sociology, attended a session which explained how to make campus clubs more marketable, as she is involved in the Women’s Studies Student Association.
“What I learned from [Downing] is to never give up, and to persevere, because you never know what life has to offer,” Barbaran said.
“I like how the sessions are interactive and they ask questions. Here, I have learned no matter what background you are from, you can still be a leader,” Kerwing Rivas, a sophomore majoring in business administration, said.
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