Illinois Institute of Technology held its Leadership Symposium on February 19–20, 2026, bringing scholarship finalists from across the country to the Mies Campus for two days of tours, sessions, and events. Illinois Tech’s Leadership Symposium is built around a specific group of students; Early Decision and Early Action admits nominated for the university’s top scholarships, including the Camras, Crown, Duchossois Leadership, M.A. Lila Self Leadership Academy, and Emerging Campus Leader awards. Over two days, those finalists get something no brochure can offer: real time with current scholars, faculty, and future classmates.
According to the agenda, Thursday, February 19, 2026 began with check-in at the McCormick Tribune Campus Center and a Student Life Showcase in Hermann Hall, where campus organizations and student support offices set up tables for finalists to explore.
The afternoon offered a wide range of ticketed tours and sessions reflecting the breadth of Illinois Tech’s programs from the Andrew J. Fejer Wind Tunnel and an Indoor Environmental Chamber to a live Cancer Cell Demo, the IDEA Shop, and the IIT Motorsports Garage. Panels on Greek life, pre-law, and the Stuart School of Business rounded out the options. Thursday evening extended beyond campus with a Chicago pizza dinner, a parents’ reception at Crown Hall, and the Camras Bog Bash, a social night of arcade games and bowling hosted by Illinois Tech’s Camras Scholars. Friday, February 20, 2026 included academic college overviews, a Scholars Panel with current Illinois Tech students, and additional lab tours before the formal program closed with a Farewell Session at 12:15 p.m. A City of Chicago Trolley Tour was also available in the afternoon for those who wanted to see more of the city.
I was only there for about thirty minutes Thursday morning, tabling for TechNews during the Student Life Showcase. Nothing about my thirty minutes would make for a dramatic story on its own. But, watching those students move through the room with their parents, wide-eyed, trying to absorb everything, I kept thinking about how recently I was doing the exact same thing.
Freshly out of high school, walking around a college campus, trying to picture a future in a place I barely knew. Everything feeling big and uncertain and kind of thrilling. Wondering if this was the place. Wondering if I was making the right call.
Now I’m a grad student. Somehow I ended up on the other side of the table.
It’s a strange thing to sit with. Most days, grad school just feels like more school — deadlines, readings, the usual. The version of me that was 17 and overwhelmed on a campus tour feels very far away most of the time. But, standing in that room on February 19, watching the next wave of students figure out where they’re going, it was hard not to feel the distance between then and now. Hard not to feel, quietly, like something actually worked out.
Good luck to everyone who came through. Hope to see some of you in the pages of TechNews.