(Kowalski/LION)

Speaker Gian Paul Gonzalez gives speech about his slogan “All In” to inspire students to put in their best effort into everything they do.

On Friday Oct. 27, I attended the Illinois Directors of Student Activities Convention at SC where I learned how to become a better student leader to not only improve the club that I’m involved in (Older Adult Connections), but to also improve LT as a whole.

The convention consisted of about 800 students from 38 different schools from all over Illinois, and ran from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. There were 33 LT student leaders invited. However, only seven students, including myself, were able to attend. The purpose of the convention was to build better leaders and encourage students to create a lasting impact on their school within the remaining years they have left of their high school career. 

When I arrived at SC, I was greeted by LT Activities Director Peter Geddeis and the six other LT sophomore and junior participants (Avedis Nikolopoulos ‘25, Claire Hertz ‘26, Aliya Fernandez ‘26, Francis Casiple ‘25, Liam Watson ‘25, and Nicholas Giordano ‘25). Then, we were all handed cards with the names of the groups we were assigned to. The theme for the groups were boats, so there were rowboat, canoe, kayak, tugboat, catamaran, sail boat, pontoon, and speedboat groups. There was a morning and afternoon schedule which instructed us to go to different breakout rooms according to the groups we were placed into. 

To kick off the event, all attendees reported to the Field House to gather for an opening session where different activities directors from the schools attending spoke about the convention and what they hoped students would take away from it. As a way to get the students involved and excited for the convention, the opening session also consisted of student-involved activities including a four-way tug-of-war between every grade. This was a great way to energize students as the convention was early in the morning. 

Next, I was assigned to go into gyms three and four, where I discussed with other students our favorite activities that our schools put on every year and why they are so important. I learned that many schools do not have nearly as many clubs or activities that LT offers. I realized how grateful I was  to go to a school that offers an abundance of clubs that every student can be involved in.

I was later directed to the PAC, where I listened to speaker and teacher Maria Cotter from Hinsdale Central who gave a presentation about different leadership styles and helped me discover what kind of leader I am based on my personality. 

After the presentation, we were served a pizza lunch and then moved on to listen to a guest keynote speaker Gian Paul Gonzalez. He shared his slogan “All in” and his experience speaking to different professional sports teams before their games, giving inspirational speeches to encourage them to play well. This applied to student leadership by showing me that it is important to put your greatest effort into something you believe in. Whether it’s improving your club or being a better leader. 

At the end of the convention, there was a closing rally to go over what was learned. Personally, I learned a lot about what kind of leader I want to be in order to improve LT. Before stepping into the convention, I didn’t know what to expect or what I would get out of it. It’s important to note that not many people know about this convention and how impactful it truly is. I was fortunate enough to be invited and learn about the importance of being a leader for my school.