NIU students can get “buried” this weekend as a part Student Involvement and Leadership Development’s Lead NIU Summit.

SILD’s Lead NIU Summit, held 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, will host a number of events in the Holmes Student Center.

The summit is an event which aims to “develop valuable knowledge from regional and national leadership experts,” according to the Lead NIU Summit website. Participants are chosen via an application process.

As part of the summit, the cast of MTV’s The Buried Life will speak at 7 p.m. Friday in the Duke Ellington Ballroom.

“[Participating students] will engage in team building exercises and network,” said Karla Neal, assistant director of SILD.

Neal said 66 students representing 35 majors – freshmen through graduate students – were selected to participate in this year’s summit.

Returning to the summit for the second year is Audrey Barsanti-Gonzal, senior general studies major.

“I met so many wonderful people and learned many valuable career lessons [last year],” Barsanti-Gonzal said. “The program is incredibly fun and inspiring.”

Maria Ahmad, graduate adviser for the Campus Activities Board, helped plan the event.

“I try to take any opportunity I have like this,” Ahmad said.

Though students can no longer apply to be involved in this year’s event, they can apply for next year.

“Students do not have to be in leadership positions to apply for the summit,” Neal said. “Any student that wishes to further develop their leadership skills is can fill out an application next year.”