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“Leadership is for those who pay attention,”says Christopher Carter.

At the Leading Illinois Together Conference, these words were a call to action for students to network, inquire and achieve a deeper sense of purpose within the conference. The conference took place on Oct. 10 to 11, and had several memorable workshops and spectacular speakers. This two day conference was hosted by Illinois Central College, located in Peoria, IL. 

Parkland College sent Student Life Director, Brennon Hightower, and Phi Theta Kappa Advisor, Lori Garrett, to attend the conference. Alongside them were students Iman Rainey, Davi Yoo, Charles Francis, Renate Alant and Perla Juarez-Cuevas. Together, they represented several clubs across campus.

Day one: Breaking down the guidelines of leadership with Christopher Carter

Friday’s keynote speaker was Christopher Carter, a mentalist. He was able to read other’s minds simply by observing body language. This illustrated a focal point he mentioned in his speech: leadership is for those who pay attention. 

To demonstrate his observatory skills, he performed a trick involving giving two students playing cards and attempting to guess which they had, by observing their eye movements as he described each card. Another trick involved participants saying they liked a crush and Carter was able to tell if they were telling the truth based on body language. 

When explaining the cardinal guidelines of leadership, Carter broke down what leadership truly means. His first point explained that leadership is a process. It begins with an idea, and takes time and dedication to process.

Next, he touched on the bravery surrounding leadership. He mentioned that it is never about one’s self, but rather, it starts with one’s self. It is vital to take the first step to spark inspiration among other members. Finally, he reminded students that leadership takes community. In order to lead, one must connect with their team, they must listen and instill shared respect among all members.

Carter concluded with an important lesson: that one must always have a celebrator, accountability partner, and a mentor. He stressed the importance of surrounding oneself with others that can uplift them, keep them humble, and teach them how to handle new or daunting challenges as they learn new skills in being a leader. 

The presentation ended with a final, clinching thought; leadership comes from ordinary people who crave difference.

Day two: A chance to take action

Our second keynote speaker was from Braver Angels, a citizen’s organization that is dedicated to reducing political polarization in America. 

This speaker touched on a greatly relevant topic: polarization within the United States. She mentioned the four “horsemen” that have caused historic separation and polarization: stereotyping, dismissing, ridicule and contempt. 

This session served as a reminder that it is important to be open to all perspectives and keep an open mind. Her message was a refreshing reminder to attendees to maintain an open and willing mind. The dedicated speaker ended with a call to action for attendees to write a way they were going to serve their communities once the conference concluded. Students wrote this on sticky notes and filled a wall up, which will continually serve as a memento of the lessons learned this day.

Break it up: Development workshops

In the various unique workshops offered at the conference, Parkland students chose to attend the Creating Connections session, which was led by Regional Phi Theta Kappa Officer, Abby Stewart. She explained that networking was not just about being social, but a vital life skill that is apparent in all areas of life. 

Attendees were asked several questions, such as challenges faced with campus engagement, and important moments shared amongst teams. This session truly drove home the theme of fellowship. It highlighted the importance of creating bonds and memories with others. 

Next, we attended the Campus to Career: Turning Engagement to Experience session. This session led by Hightower centralized around what soft, hard and transferable skills were, and how to truly write an impactful resume. We were shown a great formula to describe prior and current occupational responsibilities: Title of activity, example of what was done and the result it yielded. 

This session truly drove home the importance of professionalism, and the process of enabling others to act.

Concluding thoughts

Attendees reunited for the closing session termed, “Stoke the Fire,” where they reflected on everything they learned at the conference. Students talked amongst their own college groups and formulated what the most impactful part of the conference was for each of them. 

This session provided ample time to debrief and explain what students felt, saw and what they were going to bring back to their own college, clubs and community. This was a particularly unique aspect that allows for leadership skills to further develop. To get students engaged one last time, the conference provided the stage for students to speak their minds and “spread the fire.” 

Here, students voiced new ideas, passions, and connections brought about by the conference. Finally, the conference ended with Illinois Central College passing a light-up torch to next year’s host for 2026, Black Hawk College, located in Moline, Illinois. 

Undoubtedly, Leading Illinois Together offered opportunities to grow, lead and network with talented and passionate students all across the state of Illinois. It was a lively conference full of providing inspiration, aided in facilitating connections, and overall educational; providing students an experience to anticipate attending next year! Parkland also looks forward to sending more students next year, in order to cast a wider net of experience across the campus.