Now that I am back at home and working on all the little things that come with getting life back to normal after a conference (buying real food, changing the oil in my neglected car, dealing with apartment complex issues, and exercising for the first time in weeks), I am working on mentally processing the entire event. When I was trying to come up with 7QT ideas for the week, my brain was still primarily running in Student Leadership Summit mode. So here we go with a 7QT on all things SLS14.
1—Power Sessions
The Summit was a new conference design for us, based on the concept that our student leaders should be able to teach others about what they have learned by the time they leave. This meant that essentially, the success of the conference was almost entirely based on the college students taking responsibility for the material they were learning in sessions and teaching it to their peers in their small groups.
For said small groups, we have everyone gather in one massive exhibition hall in the afternoons. There were countdown clocks running for exercises to keep them on track. We worked hard on the design of these “Power Sessions,” but there was still the chance that everything could break down into complete chaos.
Perhaps one of my favorite moments of the entire conference was during the first of the Power Sessions, where we watched the students teach each other, pray with each other, and collaborate, all in a very peaceful way. It was beautiful, and the first thought through my head was, “It’s actually working!” Way to go, Student Leaders.
1—Power Sessions
The Summit was a new conference design for us, based on the concept that our student leaders should be able to teach others about what they have learned by the time they leave. This meant that essentially, the success of the conference was almost entirely based on the college students taking responsibility for the material they were learning in sessions and teaching it to their peers in their small groups.
For said small groups, we have everyone gather in one massive exhibition hall in the afternoons. There were countdown clocks running for exercises to keep them on track. We worked hard on the design of these “Power Sessions,” but there was still the chance that everything could break down into complete chaos.
Perhaps one of my favorite moments of the entire conference was during the first of the Power Sessions, where we watched the students teach each other, pray with each other, and collaborate, all in a very peaceful way. It was beautiful, and the first thought through my head was, “It’s actually working!” Way to go, Student Leaders.
2—Adoration Night
Always one of the most beautiful and powerful nights at any of our conference for the attendees, this night was actually a very powerful one for me. You see, this conference came together against some odds, with a few battles, and a lot of hard work. But taking a moment to pause in prayer with 2,000 others, while many lined up for hours for the Sacrament of reconciliation, I saw how beautifully God was working in these students’ lives. I was so moved, and do you know what? I would do it all over again to give the students that gift.
3—Miracle Flights
SLS took place January 3-7 in Dallas, TX. As you may recall, while we were wearing our light jackets deep in the heart of Texas, the rest of the country was experiencing winter at its finest (worst?). The Midwest was frozen solid with below 0-degree temperatures, and the Northeast was in a blizzard.
It just so happened that two of our speakers are with the Sisters of Life in New York. I prayed fervently that they would be able to make it, or else… an open keynote slot?! The night prior to conference, they called and let me know that theirs was the only flight not canceled so far, and they were doing everything possible to try and make it. I went to bed so nervous that night, as I was sure they would have a canceled itinerary. But I woke up the next morning to a voicemail saying they were on the plane, and I nearly cried from joy! They were the first (and possibly only) to leave Newark that day. The Sisters of Life prayed their way to SLS!
One of my sub-committee heads for speakers was stranded in Chicago with a canceled flight as well. Dana heard someone yell out, “Anyone want to go to Houston?” She impulsively hopped on a Houston flight and grabbed a rental car to get to Dallas on time.
Always one of the most beautiful and powerful nights at any of our conference for the attendees, this night was actually a very powerful one for me. You see, this conference came together against some odds, with a few battles, and a lot of hard work. But taking a moment to pause in prayer with 2,000 others, while many lined up for hours for the Sacrament of reconciliation, I saw how beautifully God was working in these students’ lives. I was so moved, and do you know what? I would do it all over again to give the students that gift.
3—Miracle Flights
SLS took place January 3-7 in Dallas, TX. As you may recall, while we were wearing our light jackets deep in the heart of Texas, the rest of the country was experiencing winter at its finest (worst?). The Midwest was frozen solid with below 0-degree temperatures, and the Northeast was in a blizzard.
It just so happened that two of our speakers are with the Sisters of Life in New York. I prayed fervently that they would be able to make it, or else… an open keynote slot?! The night prior to conference, they called and let me know that theirs was the only flight not canceled so far, and they were doing everything possible to try and make it. I went to bed so nervous that night, as I was sure they would have a canceled itinerary. But I woke up the next morning to a voicemail saying they were on the plane, and I nearly cried from joy! They were the first (and possibly only) to leave Newark that day. The Sisters of Life prayed their way to SLS!
One of my sub-committee heads for speakers was stranded in Chicago with a canceled flight as well. Dana heard someone yell out, “Anyone want to go to Houston?” She impulsively hopped on a Houston flight and grabbed a rental car to get to Dallas on time.
4—Panel Discussion
Another something new for us this year was a “TED Talk” style closing keynotes. We heard from Helen Alvare, Patrick Lencioni, and Joe Hensler, three individuals who live out the faith in tremendous leadership roles in our society.
After all three talks, our President, Curtis Martin, joined them on stage for a panel discussion. That was a whole lot of inspiration in one room!
Another something new for us this year was a “TED Talk” style closing keynotes. We heard from Helen Alvare, Patrick Lencioni, and Joe Hensler, three individuals who live out the faith in tremendous leadership roles in our society.
After all three talks, our President, Curtis Martin, joined them on stage for a panel discussion. That was a whole lot of inspiration in one room!
5—Entertainment
I always love working with bands. Coordinating shows is one of the favorite parts of my job description, but not for the reason you might think. There are so many moving pieces to coordinate both ahead of time and the day of a show. It’s like a puzzle that you work to fit all of the pieces together so the day runs smoothly. Having done shows for both L’Angelus and Matt Maher before, this time was vastly more fun! I was better able to anticipate needs and create a better schedule for the day, and of course, they are all fun people with which to work. It’s great to meet the people I have been emailing for months and see those who I have worked with previously and catch up. Shout and special thanks to missionaries Jonathan Sanchez-Hidalgo, Zach Tucker, and David Hickson for their selfless gift of time the whole day doing work with the best servant leadership attitudes ever!
We also worked with a talented team from the Dallas Comedy House who put together a special improv/sketch show for us with some FOCUS-specific humor and special guest appearances by some of our top speakers.
I always love working with bands. Coordinating shows is one of the favorite parts of my job description, but not for the reason you might think. There are so many moving pieces to coordinate both ahead of time and the day of a show. It’s like a puzzle that you work to fit all of the pieces together so the day runs smoothly. Having done shows for both L’Angelus and Matt Maher before, this time was vastly more fun! I was better able to anticipate needs and create a better schedule for the day, and of course, they are all fun people with which to work. It’s great to meet the people I have been emailing for months and see those who I have worked with previously and catch up. Shout and special thanks to missionaries Jonathan Sanchez-Hidalgo, Zach Tucker, and David Hickson for their selfless gift of time the whole day doing work with the best servant leadership attitudes ever!
We also worked with a talented team from the Dallas Comedy House who put together a special improv/sketch show for us with some FOCUS-specific humor and special guest appearances by some of our top speakers.
Extended team photo! 6—Team Life
In general, the events team has a lot of fun together, but there is nothing like being on-site and enjoying (yes, that’s right!) the event that we have put so much of our efforts and time into creating. Because the event ran so smoothly, it gave us extra time to talk, eat together without having to run off, have drinks together, and observe the event as it unfolded. We were also able to get some quality time with our “extended members,” the missionaries who work on-campus but help us run events on-site. What would we do without them! Overall, it was a great conference experience and time well spent as a team.
In general, the events team has a lot of fun together, but there is nothing like being on-site and enjoying (yes, that’s right!) the event that we have put so much of our efforts and time into creating. Because the event ran so smoothly, it gave us extra time to talk, eat together without having to run off, have drinks together, and observe the event as it unfolded. We were also able to get some quality time with our “extended members,” the missionaries who work on-campus but help us run events on-site. What would we do without them! Overall, it was a great conference experience and time well spent as a team.
7-Join us next year!
While not SLS-related, I just had to include a sneak peek video for next year's national conference, SEEK 2015. Have a look!
While not SLS-related, I just had to include a sneak peek video for next year's national conference, SEEK 2015. Have a look!
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