Students Host Conference on Leadership & Learning From Failure

Leadership, personal development, and making a difference: A first-of-its-kind conference at ICS inspired high school students in these subjects and more.

The Best Conference was a student-led initiative based on the ICS Vision to “Be our best with Africa and our world.” Organized in a collaborative effort between the High School Student Council and members of the National Honors Society at ICS, students invited experts and professionals in a range of fields to motivate, encourage, and teach.

The full-day event featured international diplomats, business owners, representatives of non-profit organizations, as well as several ICS teachers with expertise in their subject areas and beyond. Students engaged in topics such as brainstorming and the power of creativity, growing from failure, navigating uncertainty, values-based leadership, systematic approaches to responding to challenges, and models for consistent personal growth.

Teacher Erik Hathaway helped to organize the event, hoping to provide an opportunity for students to choose from a range of speakers delivering messages which resonated with their own personal challenges, aspirations, or situations. And while the speakers covered a range of topics, one common theme tied them all together: failure.

“Many speakers recalled events in their lives that at the time seemed to be setbacks or something negative and unwanted,” Erik said. “However, through persistence and deep reflection, they used these experiences to strengthen their character and their resolve. I want my own children to learn these lessons, as I think any parent would.”

To find out more about leadership and learning experiences in the ICS High School, visit our Learn page.