By Maggie Stephens — On Oct. 7 the OHSAA Foundation hosted the Student Leadership Conference at The Ohio State University. The largest conference in the nation where approximately 1,500 students attended to listen to presentations by many speakers.

This year’s theme was “Building a Better You” and it focused on improving the different aspects of student-athletes lives. GlenOak was able to take four student-athletes to the conference the previous year.

“Each speaker presented their personal journey, their path, goals, failures, struggles and role as a leader,” senior Anna Grunder said. “Collectively, they presented the idea that we have to stay on the right path, because not only are we constantly being watched but one mistake could be fatal in our career” Grunder said.

The conference aims to help student-athletes overcome the difficulties of balancing school work and a sport. Motivational speakers came to express the importance of excelling in all areas of your life. It is not just about getting good grades and practicing hard, athletes must also be moral citizens of their community.

“Best conference I’ve ever attended,” counselor Kristin Blakenship said. “The speakers were dynamic and anyone from anywhere could take something from it.”

“My favorite part was being able to listen to Olympic and Paralympic athletes talk about their journey and getting the chance to meet them” Grunder said.

Any high school student is able to attend the conference through their school. Contact your counselor for more information on how to sign up for next year’s conference.

[Updated Aug. 7, 2017: This article has been reformatted for consistency.]