The Western New York Leadership Conference will take place on Feb. 20 at SUNY Buffalo State.

The theme of this year’s conference is “Creating Connections… Building Bridges Together.” The event will bring together student leaders from various institutions of Western New York, including students from Buffalo State.

The event is designed to not only bring students from Western New York together, but to also promote and enlighten students on the best ways to stand out from the crowd in their personal and professional lives.

Tamara McMillan, one of the chairpersons of the conference, spoke about the purpose of this collegiate meeting.

“We want students to come together and be able to network with other student leaders that are in the Western New York region,” McMillan described. “We want there to be a positive impact not only on the students themselves, but also on their communities,” the chairperson added.

Writer and fundraiser Pam Witter will be the keynote speaker of this networking event. Ms. Witter will share some of her leadership skills that have led to her successful career. “She [Witter] is definitely a great person for students to connect to,” McMillan says.

The event will be held in the Bulger Communication Center, where the day will be divided into three educational blocks. During these blocks, students will have the opportunity to choose from an assortment of workshops. In these seminars, attendees will meet other student leaders to learn valuable tools that they can bring back to their own institutions.

Elaina Bolles, a sophomore public communication major at Buffalo State, will be attending the leadership conference.

“Although this is my first year going to the conference, I know that I’ll meet so many other great students that I otherwise wouldn’t get the chance to meet,” Bolles said. “Why should students pass up such a great opportunity to network with peers, especially when the conference is right in our own backyard?”

The event has received a great deal of positive feedback from attendees in previous years, and Tamara McMillan hopes for an even greater turnout this year.

There are currently 115 students registered for the conference. This number will continue to grow until the close of registration on Friday, Feb. 12. Tickets are $20 and include a continental breakfast and lunch.

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