This Saturday marks the initiation of UA L.E.A.D.S., a daylong leadership conference for students with a variety of speakers and activities to discuss and develop leadership skills.

Almost 200 students signed up for the event, which stands for Leadership, Education, Action and Diversity Summit. The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Center. Students pay $15 for breakfast, lunch and a T-shirt. There are still 10 spots open for the event.

Kaitlin Hartley, the coordinator of leadership programs through Student Affairs, developed the idea for UA L.E.A.D.S. in August. The focus revolves around leadership development, social justice advocacy, diversity and educational fundamentals.

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“Everyone has a different definition of leadership, but for us here in the office, it is about developing critical skills that will serve you for the rest of your life and the competencies you need for the work place,” Hartley said.

The conference will include two keynote speakers opening and closing the conference with a potpourri of speakers in between. There are three breaks, and students choose to attend one of the five available sessions for that break.

Jessie Ashton, a senior majoring in kinesiology, will speak about white privilege and diversity advocacy. Ashton said she hopes students will leave the conference with a new perspective.

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“Especially with a lot of what we’ve seen on campus this year, this campus has to move and grow with the rest of the world and the rest of the country. And if we aren’t developing new leadership potentials or leadership ideas, then we’re going to remain stagnant and ultimately irrelevant to the rest of the world,” Ashton said. “Through opportunities like this, we’re giving students a chance to really thrive and really understand what else is out there once they leave Tuscaloosa and Alabama.”

Andrew Goodliffe, assistant dean of the graduate school, will be talking about mentorship and how to succeed as a mentor as well as a mentee.

“Our wish for our students is that they go off and be future CEOs of companies, future leaders in social justice, future leaders at universities, future leaders in communities,” Goodliffe said. “We’re training people to make a difference.”

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