Saturday mornings (or rather, afternoons) are usually reserved for sleeping in until ungodly hours and grabbing “breakfast” at the Vanier cafeteria, which thankfully serves breakfast until 2 pm on weekends. Last Saturday, however, was an exception: I got up bright and early to attend the Student Leadership Conference, the SLC. I registered for the SLC at literally the last minute, and I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t even know who the opening and closing keynotes were prior to the conference, so when I got to the SLC I was blown away.

The opening keynote, Luca “Lazylegz” Patuelli, was not only an amazingly talented dancer but also an incredibly inspirational speaker. He was born with arthrogryposis, which left him with extremely weak leg muscles, yet this ill-ability (not a disability, as Luca explained), but he never let this stop him from achieving the seemingly impossible – he can do handstands, he can walk without using his crutches, and he can dance. His motto is “no excuses, no limits” – because Luca is living proof that you can succeed at your dreams as long as you persevere, and don’t close doors on yourself.

My first workshop, titled “Really? Did You Just Say ‘That’s So Gay’?” was highly valuable and thought-provoking. In today’s society, many people use words like “gay”, “retarded”, and “fag” without realizing the full implications of those words, and without realizing the impact they can have on others’ feelings. The statistics at NoHomophobes are enough to astound anyone. Next time you hear anyone say something like “that’s so gay” when they really just mean “that’s so dumb”, try and (politely!) inform them why what they’re saying can be offensive.

I also had the chance to attend a presentation by Olympic gold medalist Michelle Cameron Coulter. Like Luca, Michelle had to overcome numerous obstacles and devote all her effort in order to achieve her goals. Michelle is also a wonderfully positive person, and inspired me to be more optimistic: one of her mottos is that the energy which you put out equals the environment which you create.

The closing ceremony was a whirlwind of emotions. The closing keynote was Frank Warren, founder of PostSecret. It’s impossible for me to summarize what he said, or what he did, or what was felt that Saturday afternoon. His speech was so touching and showed all of us that, no matter what problems we’re dealing with or hardships we’re going through, we are not alone. There is always someone out there who is suffering from the same problem that you are, and there is always someone out there who can understand and who can help. In a way, I was reminded of a quote from John Green’s Looking For Alaska, which I recently framed on my wall:

“It always shocked me when I realized that I wasn’t the only person in the world who thought and felt such strange and awful things.”

 

Admittedly, the SLC was, for me, a lot less about leadership and a lot more about taking control of my life and not being afraid to take risks and strive for the impossible. I wouldn’t change a single thing about my SLC 2013 experience; although most of the workshops and sessions I wanted to attend were full by the time I registered, I’m glad I ended up in the sessions I did, because I took a valuable lesson away from each of them. (Although, honestly speaking, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to register a little earlier next year!)

DFTBA,

Olivia