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The University of North Georgia (ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿) annual Student Conference on Leadership will be held at 9 a.m. in the Cottrell Ballroom of the Cottrell Center for Business, Technology & Innovation at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿'s Dahlonega Campus. President Michael Shannon will be the keynote speaker.

With the theme "Running Into Your Calling," this is the 17th time the event has been held.

"'Running into Your Calling' is something that President Shannon spoke about in the early days of his administration, and what does that mean? To become the best that that we can be," Emily Harris, assistant director of Leadership and Community Engagement, said. "This conference is centered around those words and working with our students to learn how they can lead with intentionality and purpose."

Shannon was chosen as keynote speaker because his words were inspiring, Harris said.

“When we sat down and thought about what it means to run into your calling, we thought about things like leading with intentionality, overcoming obstacles, momentum and growth, and these are things that we felt like President Shannon has really embodied and brought to the institution," Harris said. "He has really created this call to action to not only our faculty and staff, but our students too, to better understand their experiences and the different opportunities of growth that are possible while here at ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿."

Previous speakers included alumni and prominent individuals, but Harris said Shannon provides a familiar voice "who has taken not only our institution into a path of growth, but someone also who has truly taken the time to work with our students, to get to know them and to develop a relationship with them."

Programming includes several breakout sessions, including "Envisioning Your Future," which focuses on helping students consider what comes next in their leadership journey, and "Path to Purpose," which encompasses investing in yourself and your career goals. "Legacy of Leadership" is about the long-term value of ethical leadership and how it relates to one’s journey and calling as a leader. Presenters will be students.

"We're super excited that ºÚÁÏÕýÄÜÁ¿ is a designated state leadership institution, and I really think we're doing something special for our students in all our leadership initiatives and opportunities for students. I believe that the conference has always been a really unique opportunity for our students to come together and converse," Harris said. "We tend to have students from all five campuses come to this conference, and it's a rare opportunity to get students from all our campuses in one space to communicate with each other in a meaningful way."

Registration is possible through .