Alexis Williams | Contributing Writer
The annual Cultural Leadership Conference (CLC) hosted by Buena Vista University (BVU) begins tomorrow. Each year, BVU’s Office of Intercultural Programs sponsors the conference, which brings high school students from all over the country to Storm Lake in order to expose them to college life and give them insight to diversity, spirituality, leadership, and many other important topics.
The first CLC was held in 2001, and to this day, the conference still remains true to its founding values by attempting to give a diverse group of students a chance to explore college life and inspire them to make big changes in their own lives. Issues relating to ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, age, class, and physical and mental abilities are the basis of the conference. By chance, the conference also began to help with enrollment of incoming students.
Organizers feel students are drawn to attend the conference because of its accessibility, wide variety of events, and the opportunity to win a scholarship from the university. Former high school participant and current BVU freshmen, Carlee Brown, experienced these aspects of the conference.
“The coolest thing about the CLC, for me, was hanging out with college kids, getting to know the campus that I would be living on the following year, and experiencing cultures that I had never experienced before,” Brown said.
This year there will be guest speakers, fun activities at both King’s Pointe and on campus, and even the chance to attend classes and eat lunch with student hosts. Overall, the weekend is packed with activities to challenge students to redefine the moral, social, and political responsibility of diversity.
Senior Sheldon Paramore, one of this year’s conference co-coordinators is looking forward to seeing the conference theme, “Let the World Change You, And You Can Change the World,” in action this weekend.
“My favorite part has been planning the entire conference for the high school students to come and enjoy. From creating the schedules, mapping out travel routes, to working with the different offices and recruiting students on campus to get everyone involved so that we can give the participants the BVU experience,” Paramore said.
Paramore was part of a small team of BVU students that planned the entire event. After the initial planning board decides on dates, events, and speakers, they seek student volunteers to serve as hosts and group leaders for the event. The student volunteers serve as real-life connections for the students to ask questions about college, diversity, and any other life topics they wish to ask about.
“The CLC is a great campus tradition to bring together a variety of students from around the country to discuss and learn about leadership and various cultures,” Director of Civic Engagement Ashley Farmer-Hanson said. “It’s important because it brings multiple speakers and entertainers to campus to not only teach and present to the high school students but also the BVU student body. All of the events are open to campus, and everyone is encouraged to come out and learn about various world issues.”
This year’s conference will begin Thursday, April 11 and go throughout the weekend. As always, the volunteers are very excited for this eye-opening experience. Since the events are open to the students as well, the volunteers and visitors would love to see people from campus become a part of this life-changing tradition.
“The CLC is a one-of-a-kind event that allows us to celebrate all of the great things that BVU has to offer,” Farmer-Hanson said.
Graphic by Krystal Schulte
