By Angelina Castro '16
Erin Grogan ’15, Zachary Larson ’15 and Alexandra Bullis ’15 were recently selected by the School of Business to attend the United States Naval Academy Leadership Conference in Annapolis, Maryland.
The conference united military and civilian undergraduate students through an open discussion about leadership. Titled, “Leading in an Interconnected World,” this year’s conference focused on leaders and technology.
“I heard from military leaders how social media has impacted them. As I continue my journey to become an officer in the Army, I found this experience very valuable,” said Larson, a ROTC cadet and political science major. “Hearing from successful business people and high officials motivated me to get to where they are eventually.”
Students had the chance to meet with panelists, keynote speakers and engage in small discussion groups. Speakers included representatives from Pepsi, Facebook and the campaign manager for Obama’s 2012 re-election campaign.
“It was an incredible opportunity to hear the stories of how these leaders got to be where they are today,” Bullis said. “I was surprised to learn that the head of operations at Pinterest started off in the Navy because one is fun and creative and the other is considered regimented.”
Bullis said the conference has helped her better understand how to maintain authentic online relationships too. The marketing major saw how businesses are expanding globally and believes technology is going to have a large impact on communication.
“Even though you have miles and oceans separating countries, you still need to have a genuine relationship in order to be effective in your business,” Bullis said.
Grogan, a marketing major, connected what she’s learned at the conferences to Siena’s Franciscan values.
“Siena has always fostered a sense of community and acceptance. The conference showed me a lot of what it takes to be a leader and I think a lot of that ties into Siena’s mission statement,” Grogan said. “This opportunity gave me a chance to reflect on how lucky I am to go to Siena.”
