Rather than spend their weekend sleeping and tanning by the pool, more than 200 students from all over Arizona spent their free time at the 11th-annual Arizona Collegiate Leadership Conference.
Although this year's conference was smaller compared to more than 600 participants last year, conference co-chairs Lindsay Urbank and Jessie Singer said students still had the opportunity to learn about leadership and discuss issues like multiculturalism, service and politics.
The three-day event gave students from 16 schools a fresh look at leadership with more than 40 different workshops and presentations, a hypnotist, live entertainment and motivational speakers.
The conference had four themes - service, politics and governance, multiculturalism and leadership development - giving students a chance to focus on an area that was interesting to them.
Workshops like "Hip-hop as a Tool for Social Transformation" gave students a chance to learn about other cultures, Urbank said.
"I want people to enjoy themselves and learn about each other," she said.
Conference advisers Heather Gasser and Corey Seemiller said the conference received positive feedback from the participants and speakers.
"Our goals were to provide a professional leadership development experience for college students and support students who are running it, so it's a student-run event," Gasser said.
Derek Greenfield, presenter of the hip-hop seminar, captivated students with his rhyming skills that encouraged cultural understanding and positive thinking.
Greenfield said he wanted his seminar to show people that hip-hop culture represents a powerful vehicle for raising social consciousness.
"Too many people have integrated dominant negative imagery about hip-hop, and it's important for them to recognize its positivity and liberatory qualities," he said.
Craig Keilburger, the founder of the organization Free the Children, was the keynote speaker Saturday night.
Twenty-year-old Keilburger, whose organization encourages today's youth to assist other children in need, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.
Keilburger talked about how everyone can make a difference. Even though you are a college student, you can change the world now, he said.
Joanie Segall, an undeclared sophomore, said she was glad the conference offered a broad range of activities and presentations.
"I came here not really knowing what to expect," Segall said. "I'm glad it's not just all about leadership, but a variety of topics."
Members of Blue Chip, sororities and fraternities and student government from the other Arizona universities and community colleges attended the conference.
The broad assortment of students gives them a great opportunity to meet new people and make lifelong contacts, Singer said.
"One of the goals of the conference is to get people to network and meet each other," she said. "We want to get a more broad idea of what leadership means to students."