Montique Taylor, Vice President of the Black Collegian Caucus at IPFW, said he found Saturday's Black Issues Conference motivating.
"This conference has inspired me to reach out for more and do more for myself," Taylor said. "It has inspired me to reach higher and to make my goals easier to achieve."
More than 200 students from Ball State University and other colleges in the Midwest gathered at the L.A. Pittenger Student Center to listen to guest speakers present their views on topics from this year's theme: "Mind, Body and Soul."
Taylor said this was the first Black Issues Conference he attended and it would serve as inspiration for the future.
"[My organization is] planning a conference similar to this one," he said. "So we are trying to see how it works and what we can do to make it better."
The conference lasted six hours and included five sessions. Students took an hour for lunch and were able to watch a presentation from Ball State's Emmy nominated TV show, "The MiXx."
This year's guest keynote presenters were Dr. Randall Pinkett, winner of season four of "The Apprentice," and Omar Tyree, author of 15 books and recognized as one of the best contemporary writers in the African-American community.
Director of the Black Student Association LaTessa Black said it took several months to organize the conference because it had to find speakers and contact other schools.
Other years' conferences approached topics about sexuality and the development of leaders for the future. Deontae Vaughn, vice president of the Black Student Association, said he expected students to have a great experience.
"It is a mind-boggling experience," he said. "It is a chance for students to express their beliefs and their morals on black issues."
Black said she had the same expectations. Students will be able to apply whatever they learn from the conference to their lives, she said.
"I really want the students to be educated about everything that's going on, to be entertained of course and be ready to enforce action afterwards," she said.
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