"My goal is to take back as many of the different leadership concepts to my campus SAAC as I can. Here at the Leadership Conference, they teach you to go about problem solving differently. I know everybody here can't wait to take that knowledge back to campus. Also a lot of problems one school has, another school has already solved. Here, you can meet people who have dealt with the same issues you are dealing with now and learn from them. I would like athletics administrators to know that attending this conference can be a life-changing experience for a student-athlete. We take this very seriously, even though we're having fun, too. It's important for administrators to understand that athletics is an important part of our lives. It's so much more than just playing a game."

"It's been a life-changing experience. I've grown so much in my leadership skills, and I hope to bring a lot of what I've learned back to Creighton and share it with others."

DeAnn Kaster, a broadcast journalism and Spanish major and softball student-athlete at Creighton University

"(Before the conference,) I had certain misconceptions about athletes in other sports. I thought the people coming here would have big egos and everything. I was so wrong. Coming here has changed the way I look at everything. I've learned so much. I've learned how to approach people and different ways of handling things. I really feel like I've gained tools I can use in lots of different ways."

Tony Orcena, a telecommunications major and cross country and track student-athlete at Youngstown State University

Karima Wesselhoft, a public relations major and volleyball student-athlete at Hampton University

"I've learned a lot more about myself. I've been nominated as a leader before, but sometimes it's hard to know, 'Am I on the right track?' I've learned that there are many different types of leaders, and you can use your own characteristics to be the best leader you can be."

Hank Richardson, a finance major and diving student-athlete at the University of Florida