On Friday February 28th, CUNY had its second annual Emerging Leaders Conference under the governance of the new CUNY Leadership Academy Director Dr. Joe-Joe McManus. The Conference held at Baruch College, attracted over 100 CUNY students including student leaders from the CUNY/IVE Leadership Program.
The Master of Ceremonies for the conference was Manny Lopez, the Assistant Director of Student Life from Bronx Community
College. Vice-Chancellor Garrie W. Moore kicked off the event with a lively, inspirational speech about his vision for the academy and for
CUNY students in leadership, to graduate with a co-curricular transcript. He stated "It is my dream for every single student in CUNY to
graduate with leadership experience…"
Dr. Joe-Joe McManus talked about the uniqueness and diversity of CUNY , as well as the breadth of opportunities that are available
throughout CUNY. The event's Keynote Speaker was Catherine Wong, the Director of Urban Outreach Initiatives at the Lynch School of Education at Boston
College. Mrs. Wong addressed the Pathways to Innovative Leadership; Emerging Practices for Today's Change Agents. She stressed that leadership emerges
from a sense of curiosity, connection and conviction. She stated that as a Hawaiian who attended college in New England, she faced a lot of barriers
while attending college. That experience played a role in making her strong and resilient, as well as sensitive to how individuals interact
culturally. She stressed the importance of each individual knowing themselves, finding their prejudice and exploring and resolving issues through
acceptance. Mrs. Wong created the leadership model for CUNY and currently works closely with the Leadership Academy program.
About midmorning, students were given an option of attending one of five workshops, all of which were equally enticing. The workshops
covered topics such as Leader's Guide to Global Action, Sustainability, CUNY and Student Engagement, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Learning
to Take Charge of My Life, Fostering Women Leaders in the 21st Century and Building Our Own Leadership Legacies: A Post Keynote Dialogue.
During the lunch break, students were encouraged to network with one another and meet with several volunteer programs that were present
at the event, including The Red Cross, ASPCA, American Cancer Society, and the NYPD. The afternoon session was just as educational as the morning
session and covered Identity Development, Mission Impossible, Dining Etiquette and Who Really Owns the Wealth?
After the session, the wrap-up activity involved a raffle for a $200 Barnes and Noble Gift card. Participants were encouraged to bring even more students to the conference next year.
Pictures from the event can be viewed on IVE's media gallery
Written by Kerri-Ann Mchayle
CUNY/IVE Alumna
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