Four CofO Students Attend US Naval Academy’s Leadership Conference

Four students from College of the Ozarks had the opportunity to participate in the US Naval Leadership conference.

The conference, held in Annapolis, Maryland January 22-23, was designed to educate military and civilian men and women on leadership principles that are applicable to military, business, and academic settings.The theme of this year’s conference was “Returning with Honor,” as this year marks 50 years since Vietnam POWs returned to the United States.

The four students who attended were Matthew Isherwood, senior nursing student and Missouri National Guard (MOARNG) senior officer candidate; Ian (Josh) Hallam, junior engineering major and MOARNG officer candidate; Esther Schieffer, junior piano major and MOARNG officer candidate; and Emily Phillips, senior elementary education major.

A release out of the college reports that Emily Phillips said the conference ‘reminded her of the importance of sacrifice and commitment in a leadership role. This allowed her to expand her knowledge on leadership and to see how leadership can be taken into areas beyond the military and business worlds’

“I was also heavily impacted by hearing a variety of views on leadership,” Phillips said. “Although their perspectives differed from mine, hearing their thoughts made me think of how God creates the standard of good leadership. His word is the ultimate leadership handbook. As a follower of Christ, I must lead others in a way that brings glory to the name of Jesus.”