Contact: Diego Abeloos
805-756-7414; dabeloos@calpoly.edu

SAN LUIS OBISPO — David Hogg, a Parkland shooting survivor and co-founder of March for Our Lives, will serve as the keynote speaker at Cal Poly’s annual Student Leadership Institute (SLI), slated for Friday, Oct. 14 in the Multi-Activity Center on campus.

Themed "Amplify the Voices of All Leaders," SLI is a one-day leadership conference focused on empowering students by providing educational experiences that support and challenge them to build and apply leadership skills to effect social change. The event aims to provide an open and free opportunity for all Cal Poly students to engage in leadership development opportunities and learn from and with their peers.

"The Student Leadership Institute will bring students from a variety of experience levels together to learn from each other and explore topics that are rich and relevant to our campus community," said Jason Mockford, director of Leadership and Service at Cal Poly. "I'm excited to see what students take away from the experience, whether they are just beginning their leadership journey or have been exercising their skills for years."

Hogg was a senior at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, when a lone teen gunman opened fire and killed 17 students and school staff members on Feb. 14, 2018. The tragedy prompted Hogg to co-found March for Our Lives, a youth-led movement dedicated to promoting civic engagement, education and direct action by youth to eliminate gun violence.

As part of the SLI event, Hogg will participate in a moderated student interview and a meet-and-greet session, followed by his keynote address and Q&A with guests. The daylong event will also feature three afternoon leadership sessions, including a session titled "Truth-Based Leadership for Public Policy" presented by Charles Feltman, founder of Insight Coaching and author of the book “The Thin Book of Trust.”

For more information at the Student Leadership Institute.