State Sen. Rob Rolison explained to the room of Poughkeepsie students, he wasn’t a good student. In fact, he told them, he believes he only managed to graduate high school on time through the grace of a teacher who recognized the effort he was putting in, even if his grades didn’t show it.

He became a firefighter, and then a police officer, before the opportunity presented itself to become a county legislator and, later, mayor of the City of Poughkeepsie.

“There are these opportunities that are out there that you can find,” Rolison said. “Always be aware that something can present itself to you. And if it’s something that you think you’re interested in, grab it.”

Rolison was among a slew of community and educational leaders, elected officials and others who have excelled in various business fields, who spoke with Poughkeepsie students during the inaugural PK Youth Leaders’ Summit.

Approximately 70 students from Poughkeepsie middle and high schools spent three days at Dutchess Community College learning tips for how to be successful, use their voices in the community, prepare for college or post-graduation activities, and pursue career goals, through various speeches and workshops. The speakers also touched on topics of mental and physical health and specialists from the college provided guidance on the application and financial aid processes, among other areas.

The free summit, open to any district students ages 12-18, was held by the Poughkeepsie City School District in collaboration with leaders from the Poughkeepsie Children’s Cabinet, Saving Our Tomorrow, Dutchess Community College, the City of Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County government and vested community members.

“The idea of a youth leadership summit originated from students who serve on the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Committee,” said Dr. Eric Jay Rosser, superintendent of schools. “They were responsible for naming the summit and identifying workshop topics. As adults, we are obligated to nurture our community’s youth and recognize the importance and power of youth voice. I’m grateful to all that committed to months of planning to provide our youth with this positive youth leadership development experience.”

More than specific answers for where the future should take them, many of the speakers stressed to the students the importance of gaining tools to succeed by embracing such qualities as what Dutchess Community College President Dr. Peter Jordan called “The Three P’s: Participate, be Present and be Prepared.”

Other community based organizations from across the City of Poughkeepsie and surrounding areas provided workshops and in-kind services. In addition, many community organizations and businesses set up tables for the students to visit and learn more about services offered to them, possible professions and services with which they can become involved.

Kadiyah Lodge, Director of Programs for Ampact and a board member for the United Way of the Dutchess-Orange Region, told the students, “You need to have skills. Public speaking is a skill. Communication is a skill. Then you take that skill into what you want to do. … Think about the skills you need. The career will come.”

Among the speakers on the first day was saxophonist Kat Rodriguez, known for playing with Beyonce, who preached the importance of perseverance. Rodriguez is a first-generation American who grew up impoverished in Brooklyn. It made an impact on rising sixth grade student J’Anna Campbell.

“She was talking about her struggles, and that anyone can (find success),” Campbell said, noting she also learned about leadership. “Set a goal and follow through with it. If you set a goal and you’re not following through with it you might not get to where you want to be.”

In addition to Rodriguez, keynote speeches were provided by entertainment professional Haskel Jackson and comedy media mogul Frank Holder.

Holder stressed the students should internalize and make the most of all they were learning during the week.

“You all are so blessed,” Holder said. “You have people here helping you and trying to get you the idea of starting to think about where you can go.”

Partner organizations at the summit included Americorps/Ampact, the U.S. Army National Guard, the Boys and Girls Club of Poughkeepsie, the Council on Addition Prevention and Education of Dutchess County, Chase Bank, the Center for Victim Support Services, Dutchess BOCES, Family Services, FDC Heritage Financial Credit Union, Finish Strong Wellness Center, Hip Hop Healing, Hudson River Housing, Jasmine’s Place, New York State Minorities in Criminal Justice, the Poughkeepsie Library District, SNUG, Taking it to the Streets, The Love Quest Foundation and Vets 4 the Arts.

The first day of the summit focused on “Youth Empowerment” and the second day focused on “Mental and Physical Health.” The final day of the summit was devoted to career pathways, a point of emphasis for the school district.

“We sometimes think of a pathway as a straight line,” said Dr. Janety Encarnacion, the district’s director of college readiness and workforce education. “As you can hear from everybody, we all have pathways that are winding pathways. It doesn’t matter.

“You don’t need to know where you need to be (in the future). You need to know one thing: That you want to graduate from high school. That’s the first hurdle.”

County Executive Sue Serino, who owned a real estate company before entering politics, reminded the students they cannot know what professional opportunities may come their way.

“What you might be thinking you’re doing now, later on, may turn out to be something totally different,” she said. “It’s about being resilient.”