Four leaders on Missouri Southern’s campus attended a leadership conference with Gov. Matt Blunt.

On Jan. 8, Carrie Stine, Elizabeth Drake, senior biology major, Anna Ritzman, senior biology major, and Mariya Gavrilova, senior biology major, joined 80 other college students from around the state of Missouri at the Governor’s Leadership Forum in Jefferson City.

The students learned about values in leadership at the forum. Several motivational speakers and authors talked to the students. After each speaker, they split up into small groups and discussed the topics they had learned.

On the first day of the conference, Governor Matt Blunt was in Springfield assessing the damage done from the ice storm, and was not able to be with the students. But on Wednesday of that week, the attendees joined Blunt for the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast. Blunt told the students how important it was to begin his day with devotions and prayer time.

While in Jefferson City, the college students toured the capital, the Missouri Supreme Court, Governor’s Mansion, and a high security prison. The students also had the opportunity to visit with inmates. One evening, the students were able to have dinner with the governor at the mansion and visit one-on-one with him.

Stine said that she learned a lot about how to be an effective motivational leader.

“Leadership is hard. To be effective, everything needs to be in line,” Stine staid. Many of the speakers let the students know that a relationship with God is important to help everything be in line.

“It was good to know that many of our leaders feel a relationship with God is important. As a Christian, it is important to me as well,” Stine said.