Five Arkansas Tech University students attended the 2022-2023 Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference on the College Station campus of Texas A&M University Jan. 19-21.
ATU students Briya Alford, Caylin Allen, Jace Bridges, Morgan Smith and Jaelun Thomas participated in the event, which is noted as the largest annual student-run conference in the nation.
According to information provided by the Texas A&M University Department of Multicultural Services, the annual conference “presents a number of creative workshops that focus on related topics and develop strong leadership skills.”
The Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference traces its roots back to 1989 when, according to information provided by Texas A&M, a group of students “hosted a forum by which African American students in the southwest could assemble to address the problems and concerns that affected the Black community.”
Alford said that learning about different leadership styles was among the highlights of the conference.
“When we first got there, it was a day of ice breakers, getting to know each other and networking,” said Alford. “The next day was workshops on navigating corporate America as a Black American and embracing my identity as an African American woman. There was a great deal of information that I will be able to apply to my life, my college experience and my campus organizations. I got to visit with other Black leaders and I felt like I wasn’t alone. It left me with a feeling of exhilaration and a desire to leave my mark at Tech.”
