OSUN Virtual Student Leadership Conference a Success
Hephzibah Emereole, managing editor of the OSUN Global Commons Initiative and Ashesi University graduate, was a keynote speaker at the OSUN Virtual Student Leadership Conference.
The second annual Virtual Student Leadership Conference took place October 15–16. This conference was sponsored by the Open Society University Network (OSUN), and implemented by the OSUN Civic Engagement Initiative (CEI) and Student Life Initiatives Project (SLIP), housed at Bard. OSUN is a global network that began in 2020 and currently has 45 higher education partners throughout the world, including research institutions and universities in Ghana, Columbia, Vienna, and more.
Tonery Rogers, who works closely with SLIP, and was a speaker at the Virtual Student Leadership Conference, described how this year’s conference emphasized student engagement across OSUN. This clearly had an impact with more than 500 participants registering for the conference and approximately 200 students attending. This is a significant increase from the previous years and a clear sign of success.
Within this conference, student speaker Hephzibah Emereole from Ashesi University in Ghana spoke about the “Journey of a Leader,” and how her own journey influenced her path to where she is. Emereole was a previous attendee at last year’s conference, and since that time has transitioned to being the managing editor of OSUN’s Global Commons and a key leader within the conference. After Emereole, the conference segued into four workshops including team management, conflict resolution, time management, and team building.
Following the first day, participants were assigned ‘homework’, which helped refortify the next day’s speakers and workshops. On day two, Maria Jose Caicedo, a clinical psychologist at the University de los Andes in Colombia, spoke on the current mental health crisis and its impact on students, as well as the importance of prioritizing one’s own needs. Following her talk, participants joined workshops on handling tough conversations, leadership compass, cross-cultural communication, and how to create safe spaces as students.
The main idea behind the conference, as Rogers pointed out, was “envisioning this as a gateway into different leadership activities.” OSUN, SLIP, and the CEI are working to build the capacity of students as leaders within these spaces. Much of the conference planning happened with the help of students, a majority of which were OSUN Global Fellows. The Fellows developed the conference agenda with staff and will continue to play a key role in building future Virtual Leadership Conferences for students.
Post Date: 10-21-2022