By: Jenny Mendoza~Copy Editor~

Students looking to improve their leadership skills were given the opportunity to do so by attending the Emerging Leaders Retreat (ELR) this past weekend.

The ELR, which took place at YMCA’s Camp Kern in Oregonia, Ohio, is an annual overnight retreat designed for first and second-year students who wish to begin developing leadership skills. At this year’s retreat, 44 students worked on their leadership skills.

The retreat provides an opportunity for students to learn from their peers and develop their own leadership skills while also serving as a catalyst for self-discovery and relationship building.

A large portion of the retreat focuses on the concept of team-building and relationships with other Xavier student leaders.

ELR includes a variety of team-building activities, interactive games and small group discussion.

Some students who attended this year’s retreat were sponsored by an organization with the hope of improving their leadership skills.

Other students attended simply because they expressed interest in the retreat itself.

Many retreat graduates assume significant campus leadership roles.

“The retreat went really well. We had a great turnout of first year and sophomore students,” junior Laura Birckhead, Leadership Development intern and ELR leader, said. “(Students on the retreat) took away new leadership skills, learned about their own personal leadership styles and how to work with others who may have a different leadership style than their own.”