Photojournalist kicks off annual ALANA Student Leadership Conference

Maria Pericozzi
Sep 7, 2018 · 3 min read
Quindell Williams, class of 2011, speaks to students about his experiences as a professional photojournalist and how Oswego State clubs and organizations help prepare students for the real world.

ALANA organizations launched their 32nd annual Student Leadership Conference with a press conference on Thursday, with guest speaker Quindell Williams, an Oswego State alumnus.

Williams graduated in 2011 and is a two-time Emmy Award winning photojournalist at CNY Central, a NBC, CBS and CW affiliate in Syracuse.

The press conference, hosted by ALANA student leaders and WNYO, informed the campus community about the Student Leadership conference, with events starting Sept. 21 until the 29.

“As you can see, the past has paved way for the present and the future,” said Deja Daniels, the music director for WNYO.

Daniels said it is exciting to see someone in her field become successful in their own way.

“It is always exciting to see past student leaders come back to school and talk about where they are now, how successful they are, and where they plan to go,” Daniels said.

ALANA was special to Williams when he was on campus. He remembers walking around the student involvement fair and ALANA organizations being the first group to approach him.

“It was great to see passionate students who looked like me and represented me,” Williams said. “It always has been a pleasure to be a part of ALANA.”

Williams helped to create the Peace and Unity Walk seven years ago, which was an attempt to bridge the gap between the campus and Oswego community. The march is in celebration of the March on Washington, which took place Aug. 28, 1963, which was to create awareness of jobs and freedom in America. This year’s walk will be held at 3 p.m. on Sept. 23 from Oswego City Hall, to Oswego State.

In addition to being involved with ALANA organizations, Williams was in WNYO and WTOP10 at Oswego State.

“I owe it all to Oswego for helping me find a vision,” Williams said.

Williams said working with those organizations helped him with his current career.

“Working with those organizations helped me literally touch the equipment I would be touching in my professional career,” Williams said. “I can understand it a little more.”

Being a student at Oswego State prepared Williams for his career.

“When you’re a student do as much as you can and learn as much as you can,” Williams said. “You’re here to learn. Obviously, you want to have fun and do things, but get involved and network.”

During the leadership conference, there are multiple events students can attend. A full schedule can be viewed here.

Senior Cassidy Chainyk went to the opening events of ALANA and said she enjoyed listening to what Williams had to say.

“I liked that most of the event was question and answer formatted, so we were able to decide which direction the presentation went in,” Chainyk said. “I’m looking forward to the other ALANA events in a few weeks.”

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