The 10th Annual Leadership Summit will take place at the Indian Hills Camp in Jamul on the weekend of February 11 – February 13, 2011. 50 MESA/MESA Engineering Program (MEP)/Maximizing Science Potential (MSP) students from San Diego City College, San Diego State University, Southwestern College, and the MESA Schools Programs in San Diego and Imperial Valley will participate in various competitions that will promote the use of their leadership skills and various strengths attributes.

A Strengths Quest seminar will be presented by Mr. Rafael Alvarez consisted of Reviewing Strengths (resulting from an online Strengths Quest survey via the Gallup Organization), a Scavenger Hunt, Common Strengths lecture, and a homework assignment on visual expression. Students will break into teams to complete a LEGO challenge.

Students will get a chance to mingle around a bonfire to conclude the first night.

Mr. Rafael Alvarez will continue the Strengths Quest seminar with lectures on how to connect strengths to future planning and life/career goals, as well as a workshop on creating a cover/interest letter(s). SDSU MEP alumna and current industry member from Infrastructure Engineering Corporation, Ms. Dolores Ventura, will lead a seminar on Self-Leadership to continue the 2nd day of activities.

Students will be treated to a Zip Line activity (if they dare) in which a pulley is suspended on a cable mounted on an incline. After wards, students will return to complete team challenges consisting of building toothpick bridges and pitting them in several competitions based on aesthetics and weight capacity, as well as a PowerPoint presentation culminating in lessons learned from the weekend.

The night again will conclude with the roasting of marshmallows around a bonfire.

The last day is reserved for the conclusion of the team challenge which will consist of conducting a PowerPoint presentation on specific topics, as the annual Leadership Summit will come to an end.

Prior winner and photo coverage from the event can be found at the SDMA Facebook page and a very special thanks goes to Ms. Dolores Ventura for her attendance and continued support of the MESA program. Another very special thanks goes to PBS&J for allowing the Leadership Summit to take place with its grant award to SDSU MEP.