by Helet Van Staden
SCAD Atlanta held the 2018 LEAD conference Feb. 16, offering a day-long leadership event which helps new and returning student leaders deal with leadership transitions and personal development. The conference is attended by current SCAD student leaders, future SCAD student leaders and student organization representatives.
This year’s event kicked off with a very practical and implementable talk by Kerry Abner, a brand strategist and public speaker from Atlanta. He discussed how the consumer market has shifted in terms of product distribution in a way that allows direct contact between creators and consumers and is directly connected to creating your brand identity. In addition, he said that to build your following on social media you need be consistent in what you post, choose whether you are entertaining, informative or funny.
“He had some phenomenal tips, very straight-forward, very practical things that we could use to further ourselves in our personal careers as well as our organizations in general,” said Iman Khoury, a third-year interior design student, and the representative of SCAD’s Interior Design Organization. Khoury also said she thought Kerry Abner was the highlight of the event.
The “True Colors” presentation offered a positive look at what makes people tick. This interactive presentation was given by Miranda Thomas Scurlock, director of student life at SCAD, and helped students learn more about themselves and how to handle people who are not like them. The “True Colors” method divides people’s personalities into blue, green orange and gold. You can take the test online.
Another highlight of the event was the inclusivity lecture presented by Genae Dorsett, residence director at SCAD Atlanta. She outlined what diversity, inclusivity and fairness are and gave several real-life examples of ways that fairness and diversity may be involved in leadership positions. All attendees at the event were encouraged to share their experiences concerning inclusivity and brainstorm possible ways in which SCAD could be more inclusive.
Traci Hudgin, the event manager and student affairs coordinator, said that she thought this year’s LEAD Conference went very well. “There was a lot of good dialogue,” said Hudgin. “People were really engaging with other students that they were hopefully not familiar with.” Her hope for future SCAD LEAD conferences is that the scheduling will be different so that more students can attend.