Students, faculty and alumni gathered in the James West Alumni Center with one common goal in mind ““ become leaders and inspire others to lead.
“I think being a leader in my personal experience is about taking in what has happened to you in your life and using it in a positive way,” said Caileen Coleman, a Student Alumni Association and outreach committee member. She is also a cancer survivor and a leader for cancer awareness.
Leadership 101 is a conference that is held in the alumni center to help foster better leadership skills within the UCLA community, said Erika Drazen, public relations director for the Student Alumni Association.
“The conference consists of three sessions, each of which holds three workshops. These workshops are aimed to improve leadership skills, with subjects ranging from corporate sponsorship and funding to public speaking skills,” added Drazen. “Students will receive a certificate of completion once they finish the conference.”
According to the SAA event Web site, some titles of workshops included, “No Money, No Honey,” “It’s Showtime” and “Make Them Listen.”
Guest speakers included Ralph Amos, assistant vice chancellor and executive director of the UCLA Alumni Association, and Julie Cordua, a UCLA alumna and spokeswoman for the popular (RED) campaign, which raises money for the Global Fund to fight AIDS and poverty. Student speakers included leaders from the UCLA Speech and Debate team, the corporate relations director for Dance Marathon and other SAA board members.
“This year we have a greater variety of alumni and student speakers which we didn’t have last year,” said Johana Fiserova, SAA outreach director.
Coleman was the final student speaker for the event.
“Students would walk away with a better understanding of what leadership is,” Coleman added. “SAA wants students to get a well-rounded lesson about how to improve their leadership skills as well as learn what they can do to take these skills back to their student organizations.”
“I think the important factor in these SAA events is that we bring students and alumni together,” added Fiserova. “These events foster great networking opportunities for those who attend.”
“I’m the president of Ideal Leadership Association and I came to this event to try and emulate SAA’s successful leadership techniques,” said Donald Ung, fourth-year English student. “I also came here to network and build connections.”
Keynote speaker Amos has been a leader in alumni relations nationally and internationally. He is also a member of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and is currently a member of the CASE International Board of Trustees, according to the SAA Web page.
“Leadership is about giving people a vision of good and better,” Amos said during his keynote speech. “It’s about knowing where to be at the right time and place.”
Through these SAA events, Fiserova repeatedly emphasizes the importance of students and alumni working together.
“The main focus of the workshops is to build both individual and team leadership skills,” said Fiserova.
Leadership 101 also has a video on YouTube that was created by the SAA Outreach Committee.
“The video is supposed to show that leadership is both a serious and fun role,” added Fiserova.
Coleman, who is the community service director for SAA, hopes that her cancer survival story and participation in leadership roles inspires others in the UCLA community.
“I hope that with what I’ve gone through, I will be able to inspire other people to take what has happened to them in their lives and harness those experiences to realize their passions and, ultimately, realize what motivates them to become great leaders,” said Coleman.