June 20, 2021 marked a memorable day for the Student Senate, club coordinators and class representatives who attended the Student Senate Leadership Conference via Zoom with guest speaker, Rev Dr S Xavier Alphonse, SJ, former Principal of Loyola College. Hosted by the Deans of Student Services, Dr Annette Beatrice (Shift I) and Dr Eswari M (Shift ll), members of the Senate, staff and class representatives alike learned new methods of enhancing their leadership skills.
In his lecture, Dr Alphonse listed out the major qualities that leaders should acquire - should be creative, think out of the box and influence positive change in the lives of the student community. They must also be approachable as this helps students connect with the Senate; cultivate compassion which improves collaboration, raise levels of trust, and enhance loyalty. According to Dr Alphonse, leaders must be ready to serve and understand the needs of the people they are leading. Only then can they lead a group successfully. The speaker emphasised that respectful leaders are respected leaders. By discussing the leadership styles of world leaders such as Mother Theresa and APJ Abdul Kalam, the speaker proved how good they were as leaders.
180 students participated in this conference and gained valuable insights as to what a leader should embody. As an interactive session, albeit on Zoom, the students were given space to talk and discuss their opinions with the guest speaker, wherein they expressed their own understanding of the qualities of a leader: humility, selflessness, and impartiality balanced with empathy.
Student President, Keziah James, III NUT, Shift I, said it was an extremely useful session as it targeted students who were already in leadership positions in the college and steered them in the right direction to hone their skills. “The session was really good. The speaker was very engaging. The interactiveness of the session made the participants eager to share their own views and it held their interest,” she said, owing the success of the conference to Rev Dr Alphonse.
Appointed early in February as Student Senate President, Keziah said she did not expect to be elected, but has since made a conscious effort to lead the student body as a good role model. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever taken,” she noted. Faced with the online mode, her experience as a Senator was very different from what she saw in the past, and while she says the benefits of timeliness in reaching students is much better online, she laments the lack of physical interaction with her peers. From being a class representative in her second year to being President in her third, Keziah has learned to take the role seriously and has a great passion for guiding the student body and bridging the gap between staff and students effectively.
Working side by side with other members of the Senate, these leaders have taken to heart the words of Dr Alphonse. “It was a very informative and interactive session. Students were able to comprehend the different characteristics of a good leader,” observed Vaishnavi, Vice President.
Coordinator of Games, Jerlin A, III English noted, “The conference emphasised aspects of leadership I was aware of, but went deep into an explanation of why a leader must have these values, which I think made the conference very useful.”
The leaders from the first and second year – those who had never been a part of the Senate or held leadership positions in college – found this seminar an extremely illuminating experience and the older Senate and club members too had much to glean from the conference, which made this a memorable day for all those who attended.
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