The Inaugural iPS Alliance Student Leadership Conference was an opportunity for Student Leaders from Independent Public Schools across South East and Metropolitan Queensland to network, develop leadership skills and be inspired by experienced student leadership specialists.
Four of our Year 12 Leaders, Andrew McMath, Devam Raval, Tamilla Akimova and Mathilda Bester, enhanced their capabilities to lead their peers by spending a day with world renowned leadership and high-performance team coach Dr Neil Carrington, young entrepreneur and youth leader Scott Millar and Maddie Smith-Jones from Education Changemakers. Our students used the methodology of the Theory of Change as a framework to create their united legacy. They decided that they wanted to “leave behind a school with a full heart and rich culture, which expands far beyond academic excellence. [They] will advocate for kindness, connection and fulfillment for all QAHS community members".
Our students valued the opportunity to work collaboratively with one another, as well as with leaders from other schools, sharing design thinking ideas and leadership action plans. They were most excited to network and form bonds with student leaders from QACI and QASMT.
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Here are some reflections from our students about their day spent at QUT, Kelvin Grove:
My experience at the iPS Alliance Student Leadership Conference was nothing short of excellent. The conference helped me gain new knowledge and insights about leadership, meet and network with like-minded individuals and participate in engaging and informative workshops and presentations. When leaving the conference, I felt inspired and motivated to make a positive impact for the QA community. Overall, the iPS Student Leadership Conference was a memorable experience that helped me shape my future as a leader.
Tamilla Akimova
Attending the iPS conference was, to say the least, an inspiring and enlightening experience. The conference allowed me to network with other leaders, learn new leadership strategies which I could implement within our own QA community and hear inspirational stories from speakers. One of the most inspirational moments for me, personally, was when the keynote speaker shared the idea of a lollipop moment (a moment in life when someone said or did something which made your life fundamentally better). This really resonated with me as it recalled moments where others' actions had a major impact on my life for the better - motivating me to do the same for others in our QA community, as a fellow leader. Attending the student leadership conference has inspired me to further continue developing my leadership skills and hopefully move others to do the same.
Devam Raval
Monday's iPS Leadership Conference was a fantastic opportunity to learn key life and leadership skills alongside South-East Queensland's top students. Throughout the day we were treated to talks from various industry leaders and experts, who each provided unique insights into their careers and how they came to find success in their lives. A key highlight of the session, for me, was meeting and discussing matters with our peers from Brisbane at QACI and QASMT, who helped us develop our ideas for 2023. The iPS Leadership Conference was a fantastic opportunity to engage with our wider Queensland school community, and we are excited to unveil our plans with the Student Executive and the wider QAHS community later in the year.
Andrew McMath
The inaugural IPS leadership conference on Monday at QUT was a wonderful opportunity which extended our knowledge on leadership and the capabilities we have as leaders to create change. Through the input from inspirational speakers ranging from a young business leader to a well-known manager with over 30 years of leadership experience, we were challenged to create plans for our school to combat a current issue. Unlike other leadership experiences, this program challenged us to create realistic and beneficial improvements for our school to leave a long-lasting legacy. This workshop enabled us, as a school group, to work collaboratively, as well as receiving insight from other IB schools and local Independent Public Schools. This opportunity assisted in my growth as a leader, by not only brain-storming how to assist my fellow QAHS peers to stay balanced through the Academy journey, but it also helped me understated the impact of continual growth in leadership from listening to others and their experiences.
Mathilda Bester
Marnie Chetter
Teacher of English & Student Leadership Coordinator