VCCS students hone their leadership skills during fall conference

By Matthew Fitzgerald/VCCS Coordinator for Student Support

From community colleges across the state, more than 200 students gathered at the Hotel Roanoke in October for this year's VCCS Student Leadership Conference. With the theme of "Leadership Games," participants experienced a weekend of transformative coaching, healthy competition and lasting connections.

Selected by their colleges to attend, the leaders are as diverse as our students.

"I found the session on Linkedin and professional networking to be very helpful," said New River Community College student Carly Dixon. Dixon has reentered the world of higher education after working two decades in the hospitality sector. Dixon is part of the growing number adult learners who are looking to community colleges to reinvigorate their careers. "I've been pleasantly surprised at the diversity of students, and working with younger people has been a really valuable experience," she said. "Being here and learning skills that can help me grow in my professional life is really exciting."

"I grew up in the foster care system," said Kevin Dames, a student at Virginia Western Community College. "I guess when I finally thought about going back to school, I wanted to build a sense of community and I really wanted to find a way to advocate for the kids that were going through the same thing I went through." Dames said he was grateful for opportunities at the conference to build the skills he'll need to make a difference in his community.

"I'm a first-gen college student. Both my parents didn't graduate high school, but I will not let that fact determine my fate," said Ty Smith of Camp Community College. "I'm trying my hardest to become the veterinarian that I want to be. I'm going back to school with the mindset to not let my issues be an excuse of why I don't do work. I've heard that in almost every session during the conference…that when a challenge gets in the way, don't let the issue be an excuse to feel, because everyone feels, but it's what you do after you feel that changes everything."

"This event really brought home the importance of breaking out of my inner self and to make genuine connections with other people," said NOVA student leader Michael Dornic. "The goal is not just superficial networking, but to understand people on an emotional level. Truly being more authentic can take effort, but if you don't try, you'll never improve."

Conference sessions ranged from communication and interview skills, team building and developing your personal brand to goal setting and redefining comfort zones with icebreakers and improvisation.

A Transfer Fair featuring several 4-year partner institutions allowed students to meet representatives and receive important information on next steps on their educational paths. To round things out, conference participants were able to experience the beauty of Roanoke between sessions and during a time for local sightseeing.

You can view more photos of this year's Student Leadership Conference here.