MU hosted the 34th annual Big XII Conference on Black Student Government on Thursday through Saturday.

Student representatives attended the three-day leadership conference from universities across the Midwest, including all Big 12 schools.

“There was a lot of really great people that came looking to find new leadership skills,” Big XII Executive Secretary Chelsea Drake said. “We had a lot of great presenters, the speakers were awesome and we had a really diverse crowd. The atmosphere of the people and what they were looking for really came through.”

The conference featured leadership workshops, six keynote speakers and a few entertainment events. The Gospel Extravaganza opened the conference Thursday, followed by keynote speaker CNN correspondant Soledad O’Brien on Friday and the C.O.L.O.R.S. (Coalition of Leaders Organizing Radical Segues) Step Show, which closed the conference Saturday.

“The workshops took a lot of work to coordinate, but they turned out fine,” Conference Committee Workshop Chairwoman Lischen Reeves said. “A lot of students told me they enjoyed (the workshops).”

Reeves said the workshops reflected the same concepts and had some of the same instructors present during the workshops of previous Big XII Conferences.

“We had a lot of the same people come and present at the workshops, but a lot of different students will attend each conference,” she said.

Drake said the speaker events were also well enjoyed.

“Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and all of the speakers so I think (the conference) went really well,” Drake said. “There were standing ovations at the end of the speaker events.”

Soledad O’Brien was one of the more publicized speakers of the conference. Conference Social Chairwoman and Legion of Black Collegians Activities chairwoman Kristen Andrews said O’Brien had boosted the success of the conference and would like to see her speak again.

Planning committee member Lakeisha Williams said the Gospel Extravaganza went well and was well attended.

“The Gospel Extravaganza was uplifting and inspiring,” she said.

The step show was also a success and very entertaining, Williams said.

“The step show was great,” Drake said. “(Jesse Auditorium) was packed, we had a full house.”

Overall, everyone who worked on the conference was the reason for its success, Williams said.

“The conference was a success because of the many individuals that worked diligently for over a year to ensure it would be the best it could be, but most importantly because the participants expressed their satisfaction and appreciation for the conference and activities that were planned for them,” she said in an e-mail. “Furthermore, the students walked away with essential skills they will be able to use as black leaders to better themselves, their respective organizations, their communities and utilize throughout life.”