Students learned valuable skills and heard uplifting advice from alumni at the event
University of Guelph-Humber (U of GH) students were inspired, motivated, and empowered at the University’s first-ever Unleash Your Potential! Leadership Conference on Jan. 11, 2025.
Held at the University, this pilot event, facilitated by Student Life and open to all U of GH students, was a day filled with engaging speakers and interactive workshops – all designed to sharpen students’ networking and leadership skill sets.
“Anybody can be a leader. I think it's important to take that leap, have faith in yourself and just put yourself forward, and learn more about yourself and people around you,” fourth-year Psychology student and conference attendee Ana Downes said.
Downes attended the event because she wanted to meet new people and hone her leadership skills, as she aspires to unite people, firmly believing that being a leader is one of the best ways to have a positive impact. Similarly, Andrea Joy Deveraturda, a third-year Kinesiology student who also attended the event, is striving to leave a positive mark on the Guelph-Humber community as a Student Transition and Resource Team (START) Leader and a Learning Support Peer, and wanted to expand her skill sets.
To build strong leaders, the Unleash Your Potential! Leadership Conference included workshops involving networking, learning about leadership styles, team building, resume writing, diversity & recognizing unconscious bias, as well as alumni panels that provided students with advice about career pathways from professionals who were once in a similar position at U of GH.
Hearing from alumni left a resounding impact on the students who attended. Justice Studies alum Numan Butt (class of 2015) and Kinesiology alum Lianna Montanari (class of 2023) spoke on a panel about how they got involved with leadership opportunities when they were Guelph-Humber students and how those experiences have propelled them forward in their career or graduate program now.
The keynote speaker, U of GH Business alum Jared Batten (class of 2012), uplifted attendees through sharing his non-linear career path. Deveraturda said she enjoyed hearing him talk about his career journey during his address because it lessened her worries about her future and allowed her to reflect on her own path forward.
“[The keynote address] inspired me because back in high school, when I took kinesiology, I wanted to be in physiotherapy, but then along the way, I shifted interests a bit. Right now, I’m more interested in occupational therapy, and it could change again in the next year,” she said.
Self-reflection and developing new skills are all part of the necessary growth students require to become well-adjusted professionals. Downes said throughout her time at U of GH and through learning about leadership styles during the conference, she felt taking an introspective look was useful to gain a better understanding about her own strengths and how she can apply them to her career in the real world one day.
“For example, learning my CliftonStrengths has taught me how to guide my interactions with people, but also the work that I do professionally, personally, and academically. I think learning more about your own leadership style can help a lot with that,” Downes reflected.
Since this was the pilot launch of Unleash Your Potential! Leadership Conference, U of GH looks to refine and grow this program in the future, creating more opportunities for leadership development at the University.