2025 Leadership Summit

This session will discuss the importance of raising consciousness, realizing humanity, and the resisting the weaponization of wellness strategies. In this session, participants will be able to assess their own wellness strategies and build out to consider/practice community-based wellness as acts of political warfare.

Do you ever have so many ideas of what you want to do next that you end up frozen and doing nothing? Looking to set goals for yourself but see barriers or not sure how to get started?  Then this session is for you where we will use Life Design theory to solve the “wicked problems” you are facing whether it be too many ideas or not sure how to start.  This interactive session will include time to brainstorm goals, get feedback from peers and leave with action plan items to help you get started on your goal setting and problem solving as a leader. The skills taught will help now and in your future career learning a proven strategy to get from feeling stuck into a place of action.

There are only so many hours in a day! This session will review time management strategies to organize tasks and increase productivity. Participants will learn how to create a weekly schedule that prioritizes academics while effectively incorporating life balance. In addition, we’ll review long term planning tactics and study cycles to reduce procrastination. The time management tools reviewed during this session can be used as a student at BSU and beyond!

College is the perfect time to explore and experiment with different leadership styles—on campus, in your future profession, and within your community. Whether your leadership style already feels polished and confident or you're still figuring out what fits, this upbeat and interactive session will help you identify an approach that plays to your strengths. Together, we’ll reflect on what we already know about leadership, swap insights, and create a personalized game plan to help you step into leadership opportunities with confidence and style!

Hear from BSU Alumni about their leadership journeys and how their time at BSU prepared them for life after college.

In this session, we will explore the core principles of team leadership and how they can be harnessed to motivate and inspire others. Drawing on social change theory, we will discuss the shift from traditional leader-subordinate dynamics to a more collaborative approach that empowers teams. Participants will engage in interactive discussions and practical exercises to understand how to lead with purpose, inclusivity, and empowerment. You will leave with strategies for fostering a motivated and cohesive team environment, and actionable insights to drive positive change within your campus community and beyond.

Great leaders, like Bristaco the Bear, know leadership is about trust, influence, and community. This session will help student leaders strengthen relationships and understand their impact on campus. Through interactive activities and discussions, participants will gain practical tools to enhance their leadership and connections.

What’s Your Beef? Let’s talk about Conflict! What causes conflict and what is your conflict management style? You will learn what your style is, pros and cons and how to best use it in a conflict. A lot to unpack here and talk about. Knowing how you handle conflict as a leader will come in handy for sure.

A Barrier Breaker is an individual who actively advocates for marginalized communities and seeks to dismantle obstacles, inequities, and discrimination that blocks access to opportunities and equal rights. Through this interactive workshop, explore the idea of advocacy and your advocacy vibe, your ‘why,’ the domains of accessibility, and actions that have lead to broken barriers at BSU. At the end of the workshop, you'll earn verified Barrier Breaker status.

This workshop is designed to help you unlock your advocacy potential!  Participants will build advocacy skills, gain confidence in telling their stories to create positive social change, learn about their local legislators, then have the chance to put their skills into action during an optional visit to the MA State House in April!  

Do you ever feel like not everyone in your organization is on the same page? Do you have so many ideas about what you want to do in life that you aren't sure which path to take? Creating a vision or shared vision is important to help you or your organization be successful, no matter how you define that. This session will help explain the difference between a mission statement and a vision statement, how to write them, and why it is important to have both. 

This session explores what shapes a great leader—are leaders born, or can leadership be developed? We’ll look at research that combines science and real-world practice to discuss how authentic leadership can be developed and furthermore more how that development can be accelerated. 

This interactive presentation will give participants hands-on experience leading diverse teams, enhancing their ability to manage and navigate cultural differences, promote inclusivity, and create a collaborative environment.

Join us as we wrap up the day and reflect on the conversations, presentations and new connections. We will also draw the winners of our prizes for attendance!