Leaders of Ayala High School visited a statewide conference on Tuesday, October 11th, catered to specific leadership organizations in Southern California. At the California Association of Directors of Activities (CADA) conference, the United Student Body (USB) learned how other schools’ leadership teams operated and what Ayala could improve on. Some of the motivational speakers in the conference touched on how to manage a team, focused back on the basics of leadership, and even touched on mental health awareness and how to take care of your mental health.  Many members of USB found that the conference helped them to become better leaders through various stimulating activities.

“The conference made me a better leader because I had to branch out and talk to different people I haven’t met before to share information and ask questions,” senior Nicole Torres said. “It was definitely out of my comfort zone to go up to people and start a conversation but I know that it is beneficial to me.”

Not only did conference activities consist of passive learning through motivational speakers, but also team building and communication exercises. One of the activities that was done at the conference was playing a game of telephone but with a slight twist that helped exercise the ability to listen to others. Creativity was also exercised during the event where players were given a set of letters to think of a theme for events. 

A big part of the event was a reminder for students that their actions can be a vital influence on campus and to always be mindful of how they optimize and use their voices. Because USB is full of motivated students, they create the academic school environment set up for success.

Many different ways to communicate and improve the school were learned during the conference which many that attended plan to apply to future rallies and events. Senior Logan Del Rosario learned that communicating to people one on one and getting to know the person that you are leading is the most effective way to improve as a leader. 

“I feel as if treating people as individuals would go such a long way in terms of implementing what I’ve learned from the conference,” Del Rosario said. “It’s so easy for a leader to be nice to everyone, but some need it more than others. I believe being more personal and really getting to understand a person can really improve your leadership as a whole.”

Senior Soraya Corydon is also planning to implement what she learned about promotions and publicity to the upcoming rally. The meaningful experience has inspired many in USB to help improve our school for a better social community. 

“One way we plan to implement what we learned from the conference is by using the many publicity ideas we learned to publicize for our upcoming rally,” Corydon said.

Through this meaningful experience, leadership students are now more motivated than ever to make Ayala High School more innovative.