Madi Mann, April 8th, 2024
Through immense strength and a selfless commitment from all members, the Ken Tilley Student Leader’s Conference’s motto of “Better Together” gained a meaning more significant than anyone could have ever predicted.
Over the weekend of November 10th and 11th, Blacksburg High School hosted schools from all over the state of Virginia in a student-led leadership conference. The conference was through VHSL, and included exciting activities ranging from glow-in-the-dark dodgeball, to a captivating keynote speaker, and a closing presentation on success from members of the Virginia Tech Women’s soccer team.
Day 1: The Start of Something Great
The event began promptly at 5:00 PM where schools started their check in process. Blacksburg High School student ambassadors greeted them at the door before signing them in and providing them with their “swag bags.” They then instructed them to head to the auditorium where Theo Villanueva and Lorelei Spradlin excitedly kicked off the activities.
Theo introduced the concept of “Better Together” right off the bat, claiming the intent of the conference is to create “better leaders, better cultivators, and better community members.” Once their introduction concluded, everyone headed to the gym where an exciting battle of glow in the dark dodgeball took place. Theo took on the role of MC with what appeared to be seasoned professionalism.
Each student had a name tag with a random color; meaning the schools were randomly divided up. He encouraged each individual to meet someone new, and attempt to cultivate a connection that would last a lifetime. As the games began, the excitement and joy of the players was palpable as they all competed in several rounds. After a series of hard fought battles, and more than one blows to the head, Green Team came out victorious; closing out the 2023 Dodgeball Games. The night ended with a dinner dedicated to meeting and getting comfortable with each other. Student’s were introduced to a little bit of Blacksburg culture as they had a “Hometown Throwdown” tailgate with Pizza from The Bést of Blacksburg, before leaving and preparing for more events the following day.
Day 2: “Better Together’s” Reinvention- Student’s from Across the State Come Together from an Unexpected Loss
On the second day of the conference, students arrived bright and early for a group breakfast before making their way back to the auditorium where it all began. The room was filled with exciting conversation as more and more students filtered in and began to familiarize themselves with each other. Mr. Knight, a representative from VHSL took the stage asking, “Where my leaders at?” He then encouraged everyone to take back what they learn to help transform their community. Student Ambassadors Theo and Lorelei then took the stage where they led a 1 minute money collection to raise money for the selected charity; Micah’s backpack. This is a charity that addresses food and security in 10 schools, and the room was lively as kids began scrounging change from their bags. Theo and Lorelei then once again took the stage where the conversation took a more somber turn.
They encouraged students to take a look at their provided bags, which each adorned a purple ribbon. As students began to look around, they explained that they were missing a very important member of their team at the conference.
The Blacksburg High School student ambassadors had been working on preparing for this event for over two months, but less than one week before it took place, Serenity Hawley tragically lost her life. Theo and Lorelei explained that Serenity was a leader, and she would have been so happy that each student was there. From that moment on, the meaning of “Better Together” seemed to gain a significance that no one had previously predicted.
In personal interviews after the event concluded, Theo Villanueva was asked what the phrase meant to him now. His response was as follows: “I think coming down to this weekend, when we first created it, we just wanted the state to be put together because not a lot of the times you can get the north and the south together. But genuinely, I’ve seen our community come together, and our town, and our school, and my peers come together and I think that just speaks so much louder than words. And that makes so much more of an impact when we come together. The love that I felt from being her friend, we wanted to share that love as a community through VHSL”
Tasia Marmagas, a volunteer stated “People were actually touched. I saw people before you guys gave your speech, no one was wearing pens, but after everyone was wearing pens.”
This then led to a discussion on the work they had to put into this conference and the strength it took after experiencing such a tough loss. Maggie Thomas, a fellow student ambassador, claimed that “The work is not as hard when you have a really supportive group that helps you. Like even if it is considered hard work, when everyone is willing to share it, and divide it, it makes it a lot easier.'' Theo then closed off by stating “Coming together, we really made sure to get across that every single part of your life is significant, and you really have to live in the moment. A little piece of serenity is going to all parts of the state, and her name and her impact is touching rooms, It’s touching towns, and areas, and it’s impacting places she never even been to. I think that’s just a reminder that serenity brought so much love into the world, and us spreading that love is what she would have wanted.”
Keynote Speech- What Happens When You Jump Out of the Plane
Following the heart-felt announcement, it was then time for the keynote speech to begin. EJ Carrion took the stage, and quickly transformed the somber room to one full of laughter and intrigue. “My goal is not to be boring. My goal is for you to remember me for the rest of your life.” He began the story of the time he went skydiving from 18,000 feet in the air in Jamaica. He animatedly explained how his 5 '5 self was strapped to a man in which he referred to as “6' 8 Jamaican Guru.” He addressed the crowd from various places around the room as he admitted that the 6 '8 Jamaican Guru gave him little instruction on how to skydive. As the plane began to climb higher and higher, he began to doubt if jumping out of the plane was really such a good idea. That’s when his best friend proposed a deal to him. His best friend and him were the last two to jump, but the plane would likely make it back down before all of the fellow divers would. He proposed they just pretend that they jumped. That is where the lesson came into play. Carrion jumped. He worked up the courage and leaped from the plane, but his best friend did not.
“The plane is your comfort zone. The plane is society. You have to have so much conviction in who you can be and the world you can see. Don’t stay on the plane.” He then provided three reasons why people tend to stay on the plane; little voice syndrome, wanting to fit in with friends, and family and societal pressures. “People who love us the most are the people who keep us close. They keep us on the plane.” He described the difference between the old way and the bold way before giving some advice on how to achieve the ladder.
He provided advice on how to answer the often-asked question of what you want to do for the rest of your life. He told the story of meeting his moms boyfriend Mike. How he had dreams of becoming a photographer for the Dallas Cowboys, and how he wanted to start a Media company with Carrion. Mike passed away when Carrion was still in college, but before he passed, he made his dreams come true. He jumped out of the plane, and inspired EJ to do the same. When Carrion was still in college, he created an idea called the Student Success Agency. This idea sprouted into a company that now provides aid to 500 schools across 28 states. The SSA is now one of the fastest growing companies in the US, and Carrion has since made the Forbes 30 Under 30 list. “When you ask yourself what you need to do when you get older, you need to focus on what the world needs you to do. Humanity needs you to bend the world.” It appears EJ Carrion has found the key to doing just that.
Breakout Sessions, Community Service, and a Closing Presentation by the VT Women’s Soccer Team
In the final hours of the convention, student’s had an agenda full of informative activities. They spent hours in breakout sessions taught by volunteers, as well as student leaders. Blacksburg Deca hosted a session on how to use social media to your advantage. Sessions followed ranging from leadership through military to ways in which to be unified.
Once the sessions concluded, everyone met back up in the auditorium to continue the Micah’s Backpack community service project before members of the VT Women’s Soccer team arrived to speak.
Three players from the team; Sophie Maltese, Allie George, and Emalee Honeycutt all presented on their team's success. They provided three ways to achieve success on a team. The skills included all working toward a common goal, making sacrifices, and creating a strong culture. They then shared their future goals which were making it to the NCAA tournament, having a successful spring season, being invited to the freshman, and obtaining a team GPA of 3.55. They closed off their presentation by engaging with students and allowing them to ask questions.
Closing of the Ken Tilley Student Leaders Conference
Following Tech’s presentation, Student Ambassadors once again took the stage to close out the conference. Just like that, the event that they had spent months planning was over. The student Ambassadors present at the event consisted of Theo Villanueva, Lorelei Spradlin, Maggie Thomas, Brynn Ferguson, and Bryce Abott. Their hard work and preparation was prevalent throughout the entire event, and they worked diligently with a positive and helpful attitude.
The event was an opportunity for students to come together and obtain skills on how to become better leaders and transformers of their communities. They were provided with numerous resources, however the arguably greatest example of leadership was learned through watching the students listed work throughout the conference. No one expected the meaning of “Better Together” to gain such significance in the ways that it did, but the Blacksburg High School student Ambassadors ran with it. They took that meaning and used it to spread the love and light that they experienced from someone who was always so willing to share it, across an entire state. Despite their time of grieving, they were able to create change in the most beautiful of ways by truly demonstrating the meaning of “Better together.”
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