The All-Campus Leadership Conference returns this year for an event with several professional and networking opportunities along with leadership skill building.

ACLC is hosted by the Student Leadership Program and provides free opportunities for students to connect with notable keynote speakers, engage in breakout sessions and interact with professionals across multiple leadership backgrounds, according to the Career Center.

This year’s event will take place Feb. 28, from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at Varsity Hall in Union South, according to the program’s website.

This year’s speaker, Kipp Colvin, plans to demonstrate how leadership doesn’t belong to those with a title, but to anyone with the courage to show up, according to Campus Speak. This talk will focus on how any person can become a leader and the steps to becoming one, according to Student Coordinator Cameron Hagen.

“Focusing on the idea of understanding who you are and what you bring to the table and utilizing that to empower and encourage other people to step up as leaders is what makes this talk really important,” Hagen said.

Along with the keynote, students can engage in dynamic breakout sessions ranging from a wide variety of leadership and professional development topics, through the Office of Sustainability, the Accenture Leadership Center and other University of Wisconsin faculty, staff and student organizations, according to Hagen.

Colvin will also lead a breakout session called “The Art of Belonging: Architecting Spaces Where People Thrive,” regarding the importance of creating spaces for people to grow in leadership, according to the program’s website.

“We really tried to hit a broad area of categories, because people have interests in different areas and we want everyone who comes to the event to walk out with something that they can utilize in their daily lives and future careers,” Hagen said.

This event also provides several opportunities to receive free professional headshots for future interviews, options for community building and networking and developing skills like learning how to manage conflict, according to Hagen.

The ACLC not only presents several opportunities for UW-Madison students, but also students at UW-Milwaukee, creating a cross-college networking and community building event, according to Hagen.

“This is the first year we are partnering with UW-Milaukee in becoming a cross campus event, and we are hoping to expand to other campuses, like UW-Eau Claire, and we are really excited for that,” Hagen said.