*All pictures are courtesy of The Umbrella Syndicate!

Last weekend, I had the honor and privilege to attend one of the best conferences for millennial entrepreneurs yet, the Next Gen Summit.

The second I stepped into the hall, I was immediately pulled in by the incredible energy to achieve. Each and every person in attendance, regardless of being a speaker or not was incredible! They all came bearing stories of their past and present, their experiences, but most of all with dreams and goals I could relate to.

For most of my life, I have felt like an outsider. Whether it was when I was in elementary school, middle school, high school and even today in college. Very few people, I have found, resonate with me. If I shared my goals and dreams, I'd get a laugh, a pat on the shoulder and a very unconvincing "Good luck!"

However, NGS changed that. In that particular setting, each and every time I shared my aspirations with the person I talked to, I was immediately asked questions about how and why I planned to achieve my dreams. I was also given contacts and advice to actually achieve them and firm support of assistance if necessary. At NGS, I started to build a team. At NGS, I built a family and a group of friends I know I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

The summit was founded by 19-year-olds Justin Lafazan and Dylan Gambardella. “My goal with Next Gen Summit is to create an environment for the best, brightest and most motivated millennials from across the world to connect, collaborate and inspire each other," Lafazan shared. "We want to position NGS as the resource for young entrepreneurs of all types to get all of the resources they need to be successful,” he said.

And that is exactly what they did.

After a very educational and fun weekend, I though I'd share some of the best quotes of NGS2016 with a small intro of the amazing people who said them:

1. "Every leap of faith starts with a feeling that there is nothing else in the world worth doing."

--Ocean Pleasant, founding editor-in-chief of REAL Teen Magazine

2. "Find out who you are. What is your purpose? Everybody dies, but not everybody lives. Take a risk, follow your dream, follow your passion. Dare to be great. Risk being seen!"

--Tayo Rockson, founder of UYD Media and editor-in-chief of BrandEdU

3. "I used to think heroes walked on water, but I realized they just learn how to swim."

--Patrick Ambron, CEO and co-founder at BrandYourself.com

4. "Part one: When you fall, get your ass back up! Part two: Stop BSing yourself and get sh*t done."

--Daniel Fine, founder of GlassU

5. "Passion, action, focus is what will make the difference. Chase two rabbits, lose both."

--Patrick Ambron, CEO and co-founder at BrandYourself.com

6. " I don't like the word failure. There are lots of opportunities."

- Stacey Ferreira

7. "Timing is everything. You must grasp each opportunity!"

- Gerard Adams, co-founder of Elite Daily

8. "Success without fulfillment is ultimate failure."

- Gerard Adams, co-founder of Elite Daily

9. "You never know until you ASK!"

--Clinton Senkow

10. "Loving the idea of having a business is not the same as passion for an idea."

--Patrick Ambron, CEO and co-founder at BrandYourself.com

11. "It is important to do the little things."

--Tayo Rockson, founder of UYD Media and editor-in-chief of BrandEdU

12. "Confidence. Knowing your disadvantage could BE your advantage."

--Patrick Ambron, CEO and co-founder at BrandYourself.com

13. "Building a startup is like running a marathon.Work hard. Work as smart as possible!"

--John Meyer, CEO and founder at Fresco News

14. "When you are an expert of the problem you're solving you have the upper hand."

--Porter Beaswell, co-founder of Jopwell

15. "Surround yourself with people who are experts in certain certicals."

--Stacey Ferreira, CEO and co-founder at Forge

16. "Test for unyielding will [in your future employees]. Find someone who is irrationally passioante about what they do."

--Jacob Goodman, co-founder and CTO at College Truckers Vanderbilt

17. "Entrepreneurship is about finding the right way to use systems in place."

--Romain Vak, vice [resident at Watson University

18. "Respect, recap, and request: the three keys to a successful email followup."

--Blake Marggraff

19. "Have a strong personal brand and position yourself as a thought leader."

--Kim Kaupe, co-founder at ZinePak

20. "You have to solve a problem that you are intimately familar with."

--Ryan Williams, co-founder of Jopwell