Cultivating Godly Leaders: MGCNLCA’s Student Leadership Conference
In an effort to deepen the faith and enhance the leadership skills of the school’s student leaders, MGC New Life Christian Academy (MGCNLCA) hosted the annual Student Leadership Conference at the Auditorium last August 31 for select students from Grades 7 to 12.
The conference brought together a diverse set of student leaders, including members from the Student Government (SG), Coral Reef (CRF), Whales, class officers, representatives from academic varsities, selected editors from Lifenews and Halcyon, as well as the team captains and co-captains of sports varsities.
During her opening remarks, School Director Helen Villanueva reminded students about the definition of true leadership. She emphasized that leadership is more than just a title and a position, but that a true leader should lead with courage, empower others, act with integrity, demonstrate selflessness, embrace accountability, reveal their vision, and support resilience.
Pastor Emmanuel “Manny” Manansala, a former Christ’s Commission Fellowship (CCF) Family Ministry pastor and co-founder of Living in Victory (LIV) Ministries, then spoke about how to succeed in life through God’s way. The pastor stressed the importance of having the right mindset, emotions, and actions and aligning them with God’s will, stating that all of these factors affect one’s success in leadership.
The students also engaged in group activities such as the Leadership Café. Similar to the World Café setup, students took turns facilitating and participating in group discussions about handling various difficult situations they might come across when leading a team.
The student leaders then broke out into their respective organizations, varsities, and groups and created their original Leadership Manifestos. This included the group’s core values, leadership goals, strategies, and vision statement, which they later presented.
Later, Student Affairs and Welfare (SAW) Head Rhenee Sy discussed the policies and guidelines for student leaders and the characteristics of student leadership stemming from the school’s core values of character, excellence, leadership, and faith.
To conclude the event, participants took part in team-building activities to spark bonds both within and outside their organizations.
“My biggest takeaway as a student leader from this leadership conference is to be more open-minded to others’ suggestions in group tasks or activities,” remarked Chris Gaw, a CRF officer and class officer of batch Olive.
Meanwhile, through the messages, Whales officer Madison Yu learned how leaders should encourage people rather than instruct them on what to do.
“After the conference, I hope to see our student leaders embody the principles of servant leadership in all they do. This means leading with a heart that is focused on serving others. I hope to see our student leaders embrace their roles with a renewed sense of purpose and passion,” expressed School Principal Evangeline Co. Moreover, she hopes for student leaders to pursue their roles with excellence, courage, and love while standing firm in their faith to honor God.
