2025-2026 Letter from the Chair
Howdy,
My name is Erica Dillard. It is my pleasure to serve as your Executive Chair for the 2025-2026 Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference (SBSLC).
This is our 37th conference and I am excited to be hosting this exceptional conference for my third year!
SBSLC History
In 1989, SBSLC started at Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas. Our students wanted to set an example of what Black Excellence looked like on a campus that needed a visual representation of it. That initial example resulted in 35 years of impact in the Southwestern region. SBSLC has impacted the lives of students and staff at colleges and universities around the United States. The conference provides students with the ability to engage and learn from one another in an environment dedicated to empowering Black/African American students.
Why is SBSLC Important
SBSLC is important because it honors authenticity and the development of student leaders. We believe the conference allows a safe space for students to develop into the best version of themselves. No matter the role you play in the conference, you’re bound to grow through attending our workshops, networking with prestigious companies, and building lifelong connections with your peers.
2025-2026 Theme and Vision
The theme for the 2025-2026 Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference is “Chapter 37: Break the Mold, Build the Vision.” This experience is crafted to shape the kind of leader you aspire to become—because leadership isn’t outlined by someone else. It’s an autobiography, written by you, one intentional page at a time. As we break free from the mold of outdated expectations, Chapter 37 is not the beginning, nor the end, but this chapter is right where you are and right where you are supposed to be. The rest is still unwritten as it awaits the tools, insights, and bold revisions you’ll collect to honor your identity, ignite your passions, and shape your unique leadership vision.
Our vision is for participants to gain a deeper, more personal understanding of themselves as leaders—not as a title, major, or résumé line, but as individuals shaped by their strengths, values, and lived experiences. Attendees are encouraged to explore their passions, beliefs, and unique gifts to write this ongoing chapter—one that captures who they are and who they’re becoming. Our stories may be different, but our desire to grow and lead with intention connects us all. Asking, “What kind of leader am I?” isn’t a question with a single simple answer—it’s a chapter-by-chapter journey. Leadership, after all, isn’t a plotline someone else writes for you. It’s the story you draft, edit, and rewrite as you grow. Along the way, participants will experience authentic empowerment—the kind that comes from owning your story, trusting your process, and realizing that your potential is limitless. Each of us carries something powerful—our voice, our values, and a vision only we can bring to life. Through shared experiences, peer collaboration, and strategic networking with professionals across industries, participants will gather the insights and resources needed to tackle common leadership plot twists. These experiences will equip participants to confidently write their next success story—one led by vision, grounded in passion, and powered by purpose.
Closing
As we come together to write this pivotal chapter, I warmly invite you to join us for this year’s conference. From personal experience, SBSLC continues to cast a powerful vision year after year—one that reaches beyond the present moment and into the chapters yet to unfold. And like you, I’m learning that every chapter—every twist—is a part of who I’m meant to be. I hope that you’ll pick up the pen and experience its impact for yourself.
Your story needs you,
Erica Dillard ‘27
‘25-’26 Southwestern Black Student Leadership Conference Executive Chair
Education Math & Science 4th-8th Grade Major
