2024 NFHS National Student Leadership Summit

Editor’s Note: Four high school student leaders from three League Member Schools attended the 2024 NFHS National Student Leadership Summit on July 22-25 in Indianapolis. Each of the Minnesota students is part of the League’s Student Advisory Leadership Team (SALT). More than 250 students from around the country gathered in Indianapolis to listen, learn and collaborate on the values and growth of student leadership. Discussion and strategizing relevant and contemporary topics that affect today’s students in education-based athletics and performing arts empowered these student leaders as they will now spread that positive leadership in their schools and communities. The League celebrates these student leaders for their commitment and dedication to leading in their schools, communities and at the state association level.

Renae Foster, St. Michael-Albertville, Senior

This was one of the best experiences of my life. 

Words cannot describe how thankful I am for getting the opportunity to attend the NFHS Student Leadership Summit this year. I already know I will be applying to be a college leader as soon as I can. I don’t think I have a “most impactful moment.” I believe that everything we did impacted me in a different way where I cannot just pick one. 

One of my favorite sessions was the one with Leslie and Cricket. This session was mostly about conquering change. This is important because right now I feel like I am going through a ton of change with my senior year coming up. I feared the change and all that is coming up so fast, but in that moment, I felt that it was all going to be OK. I just have to trust the process. 

My understanding of leadership has not changed, rather it has been strengthened. I feel much stronger about how leadership should be. I think that it needs to be trustworthy and caring. Leaders need to be more open to their peers. Leadership is an influence. The skills and insights I learned during my time there come from many different areas of the conference. 

The first thing I would say is meeting new people. I met many new people over the last few days. I strengthened my skills of communicating and getting to know as many people as possible in a short amount of time. I can bring this skill back to SALT, as well as being a leader of my school, by getting to know everyone and making everyone feel like they belong and are always able to talk to me. 

My second insight would be healthy and toxic relationships. I want to bring this insight back to Minnesota just to be able to teach and spread the word of what relationships are safe and what are not. I feel this is a subject not touched on often and I just want to help spread awareness to toxic relationships. That does not just mean romantic relationships, it means family, community, friendships, and most importantly yourself. 

My third skill comes from Deb's closing speech. She taught me that you just need to keep going; not to ever give up, but she also taught me to always be nice to everyone right away. You never know what anyone is going through, no matter how bad sometimes you just need to show them love. I want to bring this back to my high school because there are so many people that I pass in the hallway every day who could be going through something ten times worse than me and all they could want is just a friend. 

I want to spread love through all my activities so those people can spread love to other people and so on. I learned so much but those are just my top three.

The strategy I observed for an effective communication setting is confidence. Everyone who spoke to a crowd or to even me personally spoke confidently. They clearly knew what they were talking about, but even if they did not, you wouldn't even be able to tell because they spoke with power and convinced everyone what is right. For effective communication you want people to trust you and be able to believe in what you are saying. My last thing is for effective communication you need excitement. When talking to someone or a crowd, you cannot have a monotone boring talk. You need to spark others’ interests, get the others to talk, and keep them engaged in what information you want to spread. 

These key skills will lead to very effective communication. I am so glad I got to be a part of this summit and would do it 10 times over. The atmosphere was so amazing. I learned so much about myself and where I can improve to be the best leader possible.  

Lindsey Linares, Willmar High School, Senior

The “Hunger Games” franchise is undoubtedly my favorite book and movie series of all time. With how much of my time and thought these books and movies have consumed, it comes as no surprise that one of my biggest nightmares has rooted from this series; the thought of the wrong people in power who are oblivious to their own harmful actions. 

This dystopian scenario may seem far away, but in truth, we are closer to it than ever. The current state of the world shows how vital strong and quality leadership is nowadays, which is why it is crucial that the upcoming generation is educated on what it means to be a good leader and how to become one.

The NFHS Student Leadership Summit, hosted in Indianapolis, did an excellent job at highlighting just that. It was truly a life-changing experience, and the conference left me feeling more moved and educated than ever.

The current state of the world has left me feeling hopeless. The ongoing wars, social justice issues, aggression and lack of leadership and political action to solve these problems have led me to a spiral of stress and anxiety, and I am sure I am not alone. This stress and anxiety surrounding the current state of the world had consumed me so much to the point where these issues in the world were the only thing I thought about. 

These thoughts often left me feeling overwhelmed and miserable and it started affecting my everyday life. I couldn’t focus in school and my performance throughout my sports started to decline. I had been feeling this way for a very long time and I had no idea how to cope with the stress and anxiety that I felt because I had no power to solve these issues. 

One of our guest speakers at the student leadership conference was able to help me with that. Harvey Alston had a session explaining to us that the world will always have issues going on no matter what. He then continued to tell us how the state of the world may oftentimes leave us feeling overwhelmed, but what we need to focus on is things that we CAN control in our everyday lives. We mustn’t worry about issues that are out of our control because that leaves us feeling guilty about things that are not even in our control. 

This helped me calm down and truly realize that it is still important to stay educated on issues around the world but it is also equally as important to recognize that these problems may be out of our control. It is our duty to change what WE can to make ourselves, those around us, and our environment a better place. 

Harvey also used a metaphor stating that, “if you can’t be a highway, then be a trail. If you can’t be the sun, then be a star. If you can’t be a field, then be the greenest blade of grass.” This helped me understand that I do not always have to be the best or do some grand gesture to prove myself. I can simply be the best version of me without going to extremes and that is enough. Overall, Harvey’s session resonated with me the most because it helped me manage my stress and anxiety that I had been dealing with for a while.

Not only did I learn how to manage my overwhelming emotions, but I learned what it means to be a true leader. Throughout the conference, many of the speakers and leaders of the exercises made sure to emphasize the importance of listening, speaking and action behind leadership. 

They explained that it is essential to have a good balance between the three traits in order to truly be an excellent leader. Before arriving at the conference, I thought that leaders oversaw taking initiative and being very independent, but as I left the conference, I learned that it is important to be confident and independent when in a leadership position, but it is also necessary to use teamwork to successfully lead a group of people.

Throughout my stay, I was able to learn a variety of key skills surrounding leadership.

Perhaps the most important core skills I learned were how to listen, speak, and act as a leader. I previously referenced how many mentors throughout the event emphasized the importance of these three skills, and I truly could not get enough. As someone who’s involved with a variety of activities such as student council, Key Club, soccer, National Honor Society, etc., I am often put into scenarios where I oversee leading a group of people, and these three skills that I learned how to use correctly at the conference will no doubt be shown in my performance throughout all activities whether in school or outside of school.

Lastly, the conference did an excellent job of acquiring a very diverse group of students. I met people from all different backgrounds, sports, activities, schools, states, and even countries. I was pleasantly surprised with how diverse this group of students truly was. It was a very insightful and inspiring experience to be able to talk to so many different people from all over.

Because of how different everyone was, the experience helped me build my communication skills. I was put into scenarios where I learned to listen and understand people’s stories, experiences, thoughts, and opinions. I learned how to discuss in a respectful manner and how to make sure that nobody’s feelings got hurt or overlooked. These newly acquired skills are essential in everyday life and I now have a deeper understanding of how to use them.

Overall, I genuinely enjoyed my experience at the Student Leadership Summit and would recommend it to anyone with the opportunity to go. I made lifelong friends and was able to grow my connections, skills, and experiences. Events like these are key to ensuring that the next generation is in the right hands.

Reese Norton, Austin High School, Senior

Attending the NFHS National Student Leadership Summit was a very impactful experience that I am grateful I have received. I think the most impactful moment for me during the summit was listening to Harvey Alston talk about being “the very best at whatever you are.” I believe it is a good message for student leaders to hear because it spreads a positive message about trying to be your own best. You don’t have to be the best in the group, but the best of your own abilities. I think it is a positive message that encourages students to work hard so they can get to that point. 

One thing that changed my views on leadership during this summit was while in a breakout session with a woman named Naz. She talked about relationships and life balance. Something that she mentioned that has stuck with me is, that in a situation that needs to be fixed, leaders aren’t leaders because they know exactly how to fix it. They are leaders because they recognize that it needs to be fixed to begin with. These leaders can communicate with those around them to gain insight on how people would like to resolve things.

Some skills and insights I have learned from this conference that I plan to use within SALT and at my own school are things like types of mentality. In a breakout session that talked about adversity, I learned that you can either be a “but” leader or an “and” leader. And along with those, you can either have a “have to” mindset or a “get to” mindset. I hope to apply the “and” leader and the “get to” mindset to my own life as a leader. 

Another thing I learned is to put yourself out there to make connections with others. I am kind of a shy person, but I was able to talk to a lot of cool people and get to know them and communicate better with them. This will be very helpful with SALT since all of us are from all over the state and have very different backgrounds. 

Something I saw from each of the speakers at the summit while communicating to us students, is that they were all very passionate about what they were speaking about. They all seemed happy to be there and teaching students about leadership. A communication thing I used while at the summit was expressing my own thoughts on certain subjects but also listening to what the other students had to say. Hearing their opinions as well as keeping them in mind, even if they may have been different than my own. Overall, the summit was a very fun and educational experience. I got to meet lots of new people from all over and got to experience new things.

Brandon Valladares, Willmar High School, Senior

The NFHS Student Leadership Summit may be one of the most impactful and inspiring events I have attended. As a high schooler trying to learn and understand more about leadership and how to improve school dynamics, attending the summit gave me so much insight into how to learn and understand more. 

There were many significant moments during the event, but I believe the most impactful to me was the closing speaker. She shared her story of hardship, grief, and loss in front of a crowd of high schoolers who may or may not have experienced something similar. Her message of hope really stuck with me. I remember vividly her talking about how she was one of nine siblings who went to college and broke barriers of her own accord. 

Her biggest message went along the lines of, “You can’t feel bad for yourself when bad things happen.” That really stuck with me because I have experienced many hardships but have realized the importance of not stopping. Every step you take is a step closer to your dreams, and things will fall in the way of your path. That message stuck with me. 

This also leads to how my perspective on leadership changed. 

Leaders are not always those who are the most confident, the least hurt or the most successful. Leaders are those who can get through their struggles while maintaining a positive environment for all. During my second session with Omari Pearson, he shared his struggles of not knowing what he wanted to be. Through losing his path to finding what his dreams truly were, he maintained that positive environment and influenced many to do the same. 

Before the NFHS Student Leadership Summit, I was convinced that leaders were those who could easily command a room and talk their way through things, but now I realize that leaders are the ones who influence people in a positive way. I remember during the summit hearing “Leadership is influence.” Every minute of the summit, I began to realize how true that statement is. 

I was surrounded by so many people who positively influenced me. I made friends who are on the same path as me, and who are striving to become leaders. I was influenced heavily by them and by every speaker and person I simply introduced myself to. That is when I saw that I was being led by true leaders. 

There was a lot I learned during the summit. Three key skills I learned were: Prioritize influence over power, speak for the unheard, and never change who you are. 

I have touched heavily on influence over power already, but I truly believe it is so important. In many instances I have seen powerful people who put on a charismatic front, but lack the influence needed to lead. At the summit, these speakers were not the most powerful people, but their influence led high schoolers to strive to be better leaders. 

The second key skill is speaking for the unheard. During our time with Unified Special Olympics, I saw a demographic of people who are not typically vouched for. During the first activity I did there, they discussed that they wanted to have more people with learning disabilities represent states and athletics, but it’s hard because there is not a lot of leadership for them. I realized that being a voice to those people is one of the most important forms of leadership. This school year, I have decided to hopefully help in the Special Olympics again because they deserve a voice. For SALT (Student Advisory and Leadership Team), I am hoping the League will allow us to watch and help out at the Adapted Athletics tournaments and maybe even partner with Special Olympics. 

The third key aspect is never changing who you are. Omari touched a lot on this and said, “if you chase your passion, the bag will chase you.” It’s a funny statement, but undoubtedly a true one. We all hold passions for things in our lives and following them not only allows us to be our best selves, but also to be the best at what we do. I hope to use this in my own life to follow my passion for criminal justice and hope to speak more about it during our SALT conferences. 

Communication is the only way to get through to an audience, and I learned so much about how connecting through shared values helps communicate in diverse groups. 

On Day 1, we had a friendly debate about what is more important: listening, doing, or speaking. I am a strong believer that listening is the most important. Without knowing what the issue is, how will someone do or speak for a group? Another group discussed how we all must use every aspect of listening, doing, and speaking, and I agree with them. 

We have diverse perspectives on what the best way of communicating is, and knowing how to do all three is the best way to get through to diverse communities. In the end, I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to attend the NFHS Student Leadership Summit. I hope that whoever goes next year has as much fun as I did. I built so many connections, friendships, and lifelong skills that I will use to become a true leader.