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11th Annual Leadership Summit

The 11th Annual San Diego MESA Alliance Leadership Summit took place at the Indian Hills Camp in Jamul on the weekend of March 2 – March 4, 2012.

52 MESA/MESA Engineering Program (MEP)/Maximizing Science Potential (MSP) students from San Diego City College, San Diego State University, Southwestern College, Ventura College, Morse High, Lincoln High, Southwest High, and Calexico High Schools participated in various competitions that promoted the use of their leadership skills and various strengths attributes.

A Strengths Quest seminar was presented by Mr. Rafael Alvarez consisting 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 broke into teams to complete a LEGO challenge.

LEGO Challenge winners:

3rd place – Team #1

1. Jose Vera II, Southwestern College
2. Scott James, San Diego State University
3. Susie Nguyen, San Diego State University
4. Leonard Lopez, San Diego City College
5. Aldo Bermudez, Southwest High

2nd place – Team #6

1. Kevin Navarro, San Diego State University
2. Alejandra Perez, San Diego City College
3. Jose Luis Ramirez, San Diego City College
4. Diane Aceveda, San Diego State University
5. Joshua Hurtado, Calexico High

1st place – Team #9

1. Arturo Sotomayor, Southwestern College
2. Selene Lopez, Calexico High
3. Brandon Reed, San Diego City College
4. Michael Morey, Ventura College

Mr. Rafael Alvarez continued 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 and SDCC MESA alumna and current industry member from Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems, Ms. Maria Charles, led a seminar on Developing Leadership Skills to continue the second day of activities.

Students voluntary rode on the Zip Line activity offered by the camp staff. They also completed a team challenge consisting of building a Prosthetic Hand, which was introduced to the students with an ERC presentation by Ismael Reveles, current San Diego State University student, and Frank Bogart, current Southwestern College student, about the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering.

Prosthetic Hand Challenge Winners (based on design and dexterity):

3rd place – Team #11

1. German Verduzco, San Diego State University
2. Scott James, San Diego State University
3. Atl Arredondo, San Diego City College
4. Joshua Hurtado, Calexico High
5. Jesus Rodriguez, Southwestern College

2nd place – Team #9

1. Carly Cole, San Diego State University
2. Rodolfo Zelaya, San Diego State University
3. Jonathan Hurtado, Southwest High
4. Angelica Rojas-Colin, San Diego City College

1st place – Team #8

1. Kayla Trantina, San Diego State University
2. Jireh Imperial, Southwestern College
3. Christina Hamilton, Ventura College
4. Aldo Bermudez, Southwest High
5. Selene Lopez, Calexico High

The last day was reserved for the conclusion of the team challenge which consisted of conducting a PowerPoint presentation on specific topics, as the annual Leadership Summit came to an end.

PowerPoint Presentation Winners:

3rd place – Team #7
1. Estefani Hernandez, San Diego City College
2. Angelica Rojas-Colin, San Diego City College
3. Christina Hamilton, Ventura College
4. Jonathan Hurtado, Calexico High
5. Michael Morey, Ventura College

2nd place – Team #5
1. Kirby Zabala, Morse High
2. Etydria Cintora, Calexico High
3. Leonard Lopez, San Diego City College
4. Ken Kurashima, San Diego State University
5. Ramiro Rodriguez, Southwestern College

1st place – Team #10
1. Kayla Trantina, San Diego State University
2. Zahaira Ramirez, Ventura College
3. Joe Anousaya, Lincoln High
4. Jose Luis Ramirez, San Diego City College

A very special thanks goes to Ms. Maria Charles for her attendance and continued support of the MESA program. Another very special thanks goes to Atkins Global Inc. for allowing the Leadership Summit to take place with its grant award to SDSU MEP. Without this grant award, the 2012 Leadership Summit would not have taken place.

Videos (check out more videos at the San Diego MESA Alliance YouTube channel – Leadership Summit playlist):

Photo Gallery:

Published in Leadership Summit MESA Activities