McCorkle attends inaugural Nissan conference in Miss.

Southern University Student Government Association President Justin McCorkle, along with 59 other student government leaders from Historically Black Colleges and Universities, recently participated in Nissan of North America’s inaugural Student Government Leadership Program.
The conference, held in August, was a three-day training that took place on the campus of Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Miss.
“The Nissan Student Government Leadership Conference this year was the first one and I think it was a very successful one,” McCorkle said. “I actually had an opportunity to network with a lot of HBCU presidents that were not in attendance at the National Association of Student Affairs Professionals Conference.
Each morning of the conference began with sessions such as “Understanding your Leadership Challenges” and “Keys to Success for Leaders.” The evenings ended with informal rap sessions.
During the training sessions, internationally acclaimed leaders gave students insight on how to make their year of leadership a success. Speakers such as NBA Hall of Famer Julius Erving, motivational speaker and author Stedman Graham, author and personality Tavis Smiley and NASA Chief Financial Officer Gwendolyn Sykes were some of the guests invited.
Jim Morton, senior vice president for administration and finance of Nissan North American said in a press release that he was extremely impressed with all of the students’ insight, inquisitiveness and enthusiasm.
“They’re to be commended for their willingness to share themselves and to serve others in their role as student government presidents,” Morton said. “It is my hope that they had fun, forged new relationships and honed new leadership skills.”
McCorkle said he hopes future Southern presidents continue to participate in the leadership program.
“I would encourage any future student government leader to attend that conference,” he said.