Excited chatter filled Clayton Hall as more than 400 middle and high school students from across Delaware gathered for the spring session of the Siegfried Youth Leadership Program (SYLP), a semiannual conference hosted at the University of Delaware. As students ranked occupations by income during an interactive poll, they began drawing connections between education and earnings.

“Why do you think people with more education tend to earn more?” asked Laura Ahlstrom, a faculty member in UD’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics and a researcher with the Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship (CEEE). Her breakout session, “Invest in Your Future: It’s Your Paycheck,” emphasized education as an investment in human capital — an idea that resonated with the students.

“Most people can be a cashier, but not everybody can be a doctor,” one student responded, capturing the core of Ahlstrom’s message.

Since 2016, SYLP has empowered students in grades 8-12 to define their goals and develop leadership skills. Sponsored by The Siegfried Group in partnership with the Lerner College’s CEEE, Horn Entrepreneurship and Junior Achievement of Delaware, the program equips students with tools to explore future career paths and cultivate the confidence to pursue them.

This spring’s conference on March 18 offered four themed breakout sessions led by UD faculty and local business leaders. Students attended two sessions focused on entrepreneurship, economics and personal development. Each 40-minute workshop encouraged interactive participation and peer connection.

In addition to Ahlstrom’s session, students could choose from:

• “Compelling Connections: Strengthening and Sustaining Relationships,” led by Lauren Campbell and Nick Enos of The Siegfried Group, focused on building authentic relationships.
  

• “From Competition to Monopoly: Market Structures and Mutually Beneficial Relationships,” presented by Carlos Asarta, James B. O’Neill Director of the CEEE and Bank of America Professor of Education, explored economic systems and the impact of collaboration.
  

• “Connection 101: Networking Using Your Best Self,” led by Nat Measley, adjunct faculty with Horn Entrepreneurship, introduced the CORE framework — confidence, optimism, resilience and engagement — to support students’ personal and professional interactions.
  

The breakout format, introduced at the fall 2024 SYLP session, was well received by both students and educators. Kyle Stackhouse, dean of students at Saint Edmond’s Academy, said the change helped keep his eighth graders engaged.

“I think the breakout sessions have really helped break up the day,” he said.

Longtime attendee Kelly Bench, a social studies teacher at Hodgson Vo-Tech, agreed. 

“In the early years of SYLP, it was more lecture-style. These smaller sessions give students a chance to interact, reflect, and network,” Bench said.

Following the workshops, students gathered for a keynote address from Henna Pryor, a two-time TEDx speaker, UD alumna and author of Good Awkward. Her presentation focused on the value of relationships and the self-consciousness that can arise when forming new connections.

“When it comes to taking a risk, we spend too much energy on whether others approve, rather than whether we personally improve,” Pryor said. She shared strategies for overcoming self-doubt and building resilience, citing techniques learned from NFL quarterback Russell Wilson’s mental conditioning coach.

Among the strategies Pryor recommended for reframing negative thoughts:

• Look for the evidence: Challenge whether a negative belief is factually true.
  

• Distant self-talk: Speak to yourself in the third person to gain perspective.
  

• Ask, “What would you tell a friend?” to reframe your own challenges.
  

• Imaginary time travel: Project yourself into the future to determine long-term impact.
  

• Physical reset cues: Use a small action to shift from thought to action.
  

“You can’t control your first thought, but you can control your second,” Pryor said, encouraging students to train their mindset like a muscle.

The keynote was followed by a student panel moderated by Pryor. Five participants reflected on what they learned and how they planned to apply it.

Lucas Rodriguez, a student at MOT Charter High School in Middletown, related to Pryor’s advice: “It’s impossible to get better at anything and look good at the same time.”

“Freshman year, I was more shy and introverted,” he added. “I’ve learned to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Keeley Coleman from Smyrna High School shared that the conference gave her the confidence to face a difficult conversation head-on.

“I didn’t know how to put in my two weeks’ notice, so I texted it,” she said. “Now, I’m going to talk to my boss in person. That’s important.”

Each student received a copy of Pryor’s book to take home, helping extend the day’s lessons into their everyday lives.

For educators like Ashley Carrow, a school counselor at Smyrna High School and first-time attendee, the experience was just as valuable.

“Some of these were hard truths my students needed to hear, but in a way that they were willing to listen,” Carrow said. “The speakers were so engaging.”

Bench, who also supports students applying to the SYLP Economics Summer Camp, a weeklong program focused on economics and leadership, appreciates the continued support from the Siegfried family.

“It’s amazing what Rob and Kathy Siegfried do to give back,” she said. “Field trips are expensive, and the fact that they host this for us at no cost is a big deal.”