The second annual CONQUER Student Leadership Conference will take place at Marywood on Sunday, Nov. 4 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Director of Student Activities and Leadership Development (SALD) Kim Coleman worked closely with Michael Kalage, assistant director of SALD, in order to continue the conference for its second year.

Coleman said the conference is meant to be an extension to the SALD Student Leadership Awards, which celebrates students being active and holding leadership positions in the Marywood community.

CONQUER is open to not only Marywood students, but also invites students from surrounding colleges.

The conference will start at 11 a.m. with keynote speaker Bill Coon, a two-time heart transplant recipient.

“The entire point of CONQUER is to push students into active leadership roles, and that takes a lot of courage,” Kalage said. “[Coon’s] story is about overcoming challengaes and making it work despite getting the short end of the straw sometimes. It’s inspiring to have him here.”

Following the speech, students will break off into three separate sessions to discuss leadership topics and network with other presenters and student leaders.

According to Kalage, a variety of leadership topics will be covered in these sessions, such as “personal branding, mentoring, avoiding burnouts and tackling large projects like a boss.”

Registering for the conference comes with a free t-shirt, conference materials and a sit-down lunch where attendees will be able to get to know the student leaders and presenters that are leading the networking sessions.

Registration is free for Marywood students, but $20 for non-Marywood students.

The deadline to register is Friday, Oct. 12.

For registration or more information about the CONQUER Student Leadership Conference, visit the Marywood website.

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