Many people believe that leadership is something learned, but for others it is something taught. The John Ben Shepard Leadership conference is held at Southern Methodist University every year in the spring, creating an opportunity for high school students to expand their leadership skills. The conference is open to all high school students in the local Dallas area and will be held Saturday, Feb. 23rd.

John Ben Shepard was a prominent leader in the lone star state and worked at the University of Texas at Permian Basin. He was active in building the campus and promoting leadership activities on campus. His legacy lives on with the JBS conference, which is held at multiple college campuses, including SMU. This conference will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. in the Hughes-Trigg building.

The JBS conference is sponsored by a leadership organization on campus called LEAD. This student run organization sponsors multiple leadership activities and conferences throughout the year. LEAD, which stands for Leadership, Education, Activities, and Development also sponsors the Crain Leadership Conference. The leadership organization has general member meetings every Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. During these meetings, the members prepare for the conferences and participate in leadership development activities.

The JBS vice chair, Courtney Guenard, has been working on the conference for the past year and has developed new leadership classes. “I love working with high school kids and inspiring them to gain confidence in leadership,” Guenard said. From Shreveport, La., Guenard is a sophomore majoring in Engineering. She became involved with LEAD thorough a freshman flyer. She is currently planning and brainstorming ideas since her last conference and planning the logistics for Saturday.

Natalie Kashefi, JBS conference chair, has also invested time into making this year JBS conference a success. When she was in high school she attended the JBS conference and now is able to improve the conference and make the leadership forum accessible to more high school students throughout the Dallas area. Kashefi said, “Planning my own conference has given me an opportunity to work with the Dallas community.” She said that one of the changes this year with the conference is to include a diversity class. She hopes that this year’s conference will allow high school students a valuable networking opportunity that will give them a chance to meet other student leaders and adults in the area.

Community service is an important component of the JBS conference. Kashefi has been working hard to provide the students with several community service opportunities in the Dallas area. LEAD has been working with the North Texas Volunteer agency so that a booth will be set up at lunch, allowing students to network this weekend.

Sasha Lamadrid is the student spearheading this operation. As the Leadership Programs Chair she is responsible for planning both the spring and fall conference. She has done extensive research and is in charge of the typical location, food, seating details etc. LEAD has not only improved Lamadrid’s leadership skills but it has also given her a place to take action and apply what she is learning.

Students at this conference should expect to learn core values such as leadership, communication and goal setting. Lamadrid said, “Leadership is important because it helps achieve greater things. Leadership is community, teamwork, having a purpose, communication, encouragement and setting a good example.

Whether or not leadership is something learned or taught, this weekend at the JBS conference, high school students will leave charged and empowered to make a difference for their future.