Student leaders take center stage at SDSU’s 2025 Leadership Summit

When the Glazer Center for Leadership and Service at San Diego State University was looking for keynote speakers for its 2025 Leadership Summit, they took a different approach from previous years.  

Rather than searching for the usual titans of industry, public service luminaries or alumni in leadership roles, they opted for people whose experience and stories might strongly resonate with the student audience: fellow students. 

This year’s leadership summit, to be held March 8 throughout Conrad Prebys Aztec Student Union, features three student keynoters:  Cesar Lopez, a graduate student who overcame the obstacle of incarceration to gain an education and new future with the help of SDSU Project Rebound; Ambra Costanza, the president of the SDSU Positivity Club and a student leader with the Launch into Leadership scholarship program; and Zachary Willmore, a prominent 2SLGBTQIA+ and HIV awareness advocate. All three students have been members of SDSU’s Homecoming Court that recognizes academic and community service accomplishments. 

“We have so much student talent on our campus and have such strong leaders that we really wanted to give them the spotlight,” said Chelsea Lombrozo, assistant director of the Glazer Center, which organizes the summit. “We wanted to tap into that and show students that their leadership journey could start at any time during their college experience.”

Each of the student speakers will give a 10-minute TED Talk-style address that focuses on a specific aspect of leadership. Lopez, who graduated in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, will speak on cultivating leadership while overcoming adversity. Costanza will talk about positive leadership, and Willmore, who uses his social media platform to advocate for youth who are living with HIV, will discuss being an authentic leader. 

There will also be a panel discussion with SDSU alumni. 

Costanza, who is majoring in communication, called the opportunity to speak to her fellow students a privilege.

“I was so honored when I was asked to speak about my leadership journey, and I have been smiling ever since I said yes,” she said. “I am so excited to hopefully help my fellow student leaders grow in their leadership journey, and inspire them to lead with a smile.”

In its 16th year, the conference has evolved to reflect the ever-changing facets of effective leadership, including the addition of a speed networking session, alumni panels, headshots, a service project and the inclusion of students from other campuses. The summit has also adapted to real-world events, namely the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to the first virtual conference in 2021 and a hybrid conference in 2022. 

Last year, the fully in-person conference included 26 presenters and nearly 350 participants from 22 different institutions.

The skills gathered at the summit will help students now and into the future of their careers, Lombrozo said. 

“No matter what field a student enters, they will need leadership skills at some point in their careers,” Lombrozo said. “Curricularly, they can get the hard skills they need in the workforce, but co-curricularly, we can provide them with the skills to allow them to move up as leaders in their industries.”

Liana Marin, a 2020 SDSU graduate with a bachelor’s degree in industrial organizational psychology who currently works in the Glazer Center, attended the leadership summit every year as an undergraduate student and has presented at the conference. Now an organizer, Marin has an appreciation for what the summit provides students from an educational and networking perspective. 

“You want to learn the best way to market the strengths you have, and the summit helps you find ways to do that so that you can best represent SDSU in the various fields students will enter,” Marin said.

“SDSU is such a big institution and each year you attend you get a chance to meet people that you might not have otherwise on such a big campus, and that networking aspect really is key,” Marin said. “As I’ve gotten older, I realize just how valuable of an opportunity this is for our students.”

The event will include a breakout session in both the morning and afternoon, when attendees can choose from panel discussions on topics ranging from salary negotiation to understanding introverted leaders. Panel discussions are selected when participants register. 

Registration ($30 plus processing fee for SDSU students; $40 for other students) includes an SDSU-embossed padfolio and lunch. The summit is hosted by the Glazer Center for Leadership and Service under the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Diversity. Additional information and a registration link can be found online.