University of Lethbridge Residence Assistants once again made their mark at the annual Residence Life Professional Association LEAD (learn, educate, act, dare) conference by winning two of the three awards up for grabs.

The 2018 U of L LEAD Team (left to right, top row) RA Jeremy Haack, Residence Life and Education Coordinators Jesara Nichol and Brian Erixon, (middle row) RA Ryan Winter, RA Brianna Rogers, RA Shae-Lynn Dauncey (bottom row) RA Jordan Stawinski and RA Sarah-Jean Sormaz.

The student leadership conference, held at the Gull Lake Centre just north of Red Deer, featured more than 130 RAs and professional staff from 15 post-secondary institutions across Alberta and British Columbia. Designed to assist students with their leadership skills through a series of peer-to-peer presentations on issues relevant to today’s residence life, the U of L sent six RAs to the event.

Of the three major awards handed out at the event, University Hall RA Brianna Rogers led the way with the Best of the West award, while the U of L claimed Institution Citizenship honours.

Rogers’ presentation, Sex, Identity, Contraceptives & Consent: Getting Down and Dirty to Create a Sex Positive Residence, was the most outstanding programming session delivered by a student staff member, as voted by her peers. It garnered the Best of the West prize. The U of L then captured the LEAD Cup as winners of the Institution Citizenship award for best representing the values of LEAD. It was the sixth consecutive year the U of L has brought this prize home.