For their active leadership in the college community, Richard Davis Jr., president of the Student Government Association, and Cedric Dent, homecoming king, were chosen to attend the Charles E. Williams Advanced Leadership Institute conference at Texas A&M University.

Davis expressed happiness to have been nominated and accepted into the ALI section of the conference.

“Last year, when I went to the conference, there were different topics that you would attend, and so I would go to a conference, kind of build a connection with everybody in that room, and then it would be lost as soon as that session is over with,” shared Davis. “But with this, I kind of got a chance to be in the room with the same group of people, and we got to share ideas, and if we had questions for a person, like a follow-up, we could ask them in that room at the same time or even at lunch.”

The conference also included instructions such as how to handle sensitive situations. Although Davis felt not every subject was relevant to the university, he believes they were useful.

Davis explained, “There were a lot of topics that we don’t experience at Southeastern, but by going to the conference, it kind of brought light to those situations and those issues, and so I know that in the future if those issues do arise on campus, I know how to handle it, and I know who to contact, and what’s the right way to do it.”

Dent described his participation with ALI as a great experience and offered advice to other students who wish to participate in the institute.

“Be you and be who you are,” said Dent. “People are going to ask you questions about yourself, and you’ve got to be honest about yourself. They’re going to ask you questions about your leadership skills. You got to be honest about that. So, just be you, be honest and be truthful, and they select who demonstrates the best qualities.”

For Davis, the cost for attending the seminar is worth the experience.

“It’s definitely a learning experience, definitely a growing experience,” stated Davis. “It does cost a lot to attend. It has a $200 registration fee, but I think if you start saving early and you just put it on your calendar, I think it’s definitely worth going.”