The fifth annual NEXT—Talks For The Future Generation Conference took place at DePaul University last Saturday, inspiring high school students to pursue their dreams.

“We wanted to do something for young people because everybody was talking about them, but no one was doing anything impactful or inspiring for them,” Alina Mikolajczyk, who helped in founding NEXT, said. “So we decided we would take on that role with a couple of other people, and we ended up founding NEXT.”

This assembly invites multiple speakers, including entrepreneurs, innovators, and experts from various fields, to discuss their hardships and struggles.

They inspire the next generation of leaders and high achievers, and this symposium, which consisted of over 500 participants, demonstrated how young people are actively striving to become the best versions of themselves.

Not only do they have the opportunity to listen and hear about the speaker’s life story, but they also have personal time during an intermission. Many students used this time to connect with them, collect information, and even receive contacts with other adults who can further assist in their specific interests.

Unlike many other conventions, this one was attended by over 17 universities, which handed out information. During the intermission, students also engaged in conversations with top universities and staff, including admission officers and deans.

The impact of the event was evident, as Anita Mikolajczyk, a board of directors member, said, “I love seeing younger kids being inspired, looking out into the crowd, and seeing over 500 people be focused on the speakers. While speakers explain that they just have to work hard, study hard, and get up even after failing. It really just shows that if the speakers can do it, I can do it as well.”

But how do these orators inspire such determination and perseverance in the crowd, and who are these influential figures?

They accomplish this by sharing stories. For instance, Tomasz Sobania tackled an extraordinary challenge by running a marathon every day for 139 consecutive days. Finally finishing on Feb 2, he ultimately covered 3,300 miles across the United States.

These spokesmen continue to show how no dream is impossible. This is particularly evident in the case of Paul Bragiel, who, at the age of 21, turned into an entrepreneur by creating video games, which he later sold to Nintendo. Finding his passion in venture capitalism, he invested in over 400 companies, becoming one of the first investors in Uber.

However, he didn’t stop there — Bragiel competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics, representing Colombia in cross-country skiing, and continued to compete in the 2016 and 2018 Olympic Games.

Bragiel practically achieved three careers all before turning 48 years old. This is the kind of inspiration that the NEXT Conference brings to everyone in attendance.

“What makes this event different, in my personal opinion, is that we share our struggles and failures. Everyone that spoke today took time to explain their hardships,” said Adrian Bosowski, a speaker who is the incoming CVS district manager. “Keep always pushing on; success is built on how many times you push through; that’s the only reason everyone that is speaking today is successful.”

Bosowski explained that the singular reason anyone was standing on the stage was because of determination.

Emilia Kuru, a physician assistant, made many participants realize that people can save lives in the medical field. Additionally, Alexandra Golota, an attorney at the office of the Attorney General of Illinois, shared her experience of persistence and explained how she continued to show hard work, which finally paid off.

Students around the Chicago area had the opportunity to hear inspiring individuals who shared their experiences on how success is built on determination, resilience, and the courage to overcome failure.

 The NEXT Conference is a call to action for the next generation of leaders to push boundaries and redefine what’s possible.