From November 8 through 10, the Resident Student Association (RSA) hosted the Regional Leadership Conference (RLC) for the Central Atlantic Affiliate of College and University Residence Halls (CAACURH). Organized by RSA and resident students, the conference brought over 250 student leaders from Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia to UMBC.
The conference theme was “All Aboard the Leadership” and included a variety of sessions developed by conference participants, including “Mastering the Elevator Pitch: How to Market Yourself Authentically,” “Intentional Connections: Building a Culture of Belonging,” “Leading a Residence Halls Organization: A Guide For Hall Council and RHA Leaders,” and “Communicating Like Kindergarteners: How Going Back to Basics Builds Stronger Relationships.” Social events, organization meetings, and a banquet rounded out the weekend.
"I am extremely grateful to Residential Life for not only giving me this opportunity but also guiding me,” said Yachi Madaan, RLC conference chair and RA for Chesapeake Hall. “The best lesson I have learned from my experience is remembering that life is extremely unexpected, so when doubt tries to take over, take a deep breath and dive into the deep end. Believe in yourself, believe in the hard work you and everyone around you are putting in. No matter if the tide is high or low, hold on. Because you are the captain of your ‘leader-ship.'"
Dr. Renique Kersh, vice president for student affairs, gave welcoming remarks to conference participants and staff, and shared some lessons learned from her own experience as a community director at UMBC and throughout her career, connecting them to “the five pillars of success” from The Student Leadership Challenge, by Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner: model the way, inspire a shared vision, challenge the process, enable others to act, and encourage the heart.
“The skills you learn as student leaders will stay with you in your professional careers,” said Dr. Kersh. “During times of challenge and change, your actions and passion will make a difference. People will watch the ways you model leadership. They will often need direction and motivation, collaboration, support, and affirmation to help keep the collective ‘ship’ afloat.”
Grace Collins, residential education and leadership coordinator for Residential Life, served as the conference advisor. “I will be forever grateful to have been the advisor for this conference," said Collins. “I loved working so closely with the team of 12 students and 6 advisors. It’s a fully student-led conference, and it was so great seeing their vision come to life! We heard great feedback from the conference participants as well.They really enjoyed UMBC’s facilities, and in particular they really enjoyed Dr. Kersh’s keynote speech. Her words about leadership really resonated with the students.”
At the Feb. 2024 CAACURH Regional Business Conference, RSA officers submitted the winning bid to host the conference: senior Bailey Berg, president; junior Olapeju Otusajo, national communication coordinator; and sophomore Faith Beander, national communication coordinator-in-training, presented a 45-page bid proposal.
RSA at UMBC has a strong history with the National Association of College and University Residence Halls (NACURH) and CAACURH, which bring together students passionate about leadership, advocacy, and collaboration as they work to improve the quality of life for residential students at their institutions.