A Shenango Valley native returned to the area Thursday to speak at the Minority Student Recognition Banquet at Pennsylvania State University's Shenango campus.

Celeste R. Warren of Schwenksville, Pa., formerly of West Middlesex, is the director of human resources for the Mid-Atlantic Regional Business Group for Merck and Co., Inc., one of the leading pharmaceutical companies in the United States.

Mrs. Warren spoke about the leaders of tomorrow. About 40 people, including students, turned out for the event.

The Baby Boomers, Generation Xers and the Millennial or Generation Yers are the leading people in the work force today, Mrs. Warren said. She talked about the differences between the three generations and how those differences affect their work. Sources differ as to the exact birth years for each group.

The Baby Boomers -- those born between 1943 and 1965 -- are optimistic, eager to please, workaholics, team players and are into self-gratification, Mrs. Warren said.

She said Gen Xers -- those born 1966-1980 -- are skeptical, self-reliant survivors who are very adaptive.

Generation Yers -- those born 1981-1994 -- the largest of the three generations, are optimistic and have a new confidence about their future and authority figures, Mrs. Warren said. They are more like the Baby Boomers, she said.

Generation Yers are the leaders of tomorrow and mangers are being trained to deal with them in the work force, Mrs. Warren said. She said they are good at multi-tasking and technology. She said Generations X and Y are clashing in the work force because Y is a threat to X.

"You, as potential leaders, can't do it alone," Mrs. Warren said. She said as potential leaders Generation Y needs to help develop other leaders and work as a team. People are the one constant when everything else wears down, Mrs. Warren said.

The banquet also included a special presentation to Mrs. Warren's father, Russell Phillips. Phillips, who is the president of the Minority Affairs Community Advisory Board, was given an award by Keith Smith from Fox Television in Youngstown.

Phillips was the first African-American teacher in Mercer County, and has been the only African-American principal serving in the Farrell School District. Television commercials featuring Phillips will air on Fox in the upcoming weeks, Smith said.

"I love to work with young people," Phillips said. He said he appreciates the recognition for his work and will continue to encourage young people to get an education.

As a father of five children, Phillips said it was never a question of if they would go to college but where they would go.

"College isn't an answer for everything but it sure helps out," Phillips said. He added that he hopes Penn State Shenango will continue to attract minority students to the campus for higher education.

Students who made the dean's list and received scholarships were also recognized at the banquet.