NASPA time!!!

Okay, so it’s been a few weeks since this trip but woooohooo, I am still excited about Student Affairs and reenergized because of my NASPA experience.  I showed up a day before the formal conference started and was able to see the tail end of the placement exchange.  What an experience that is.  I am excited and nervous about next year all at the same time.  I want to touch on a few key takeaways that I hope to hold on to and remember for next year.

1. The people are awesome.  I don’t know if it is because of the past sorority recruitment experience or what but I have learned that I love talking and getting to know people.  I made new friends, explored Philadelphia and learned so much through other strangers at the conference, on the plane, in the airport etc.  Each person sheds new light on some aspect of student affairs and it was awesome to hear their views on different things.  Moving forward to next year I hope to continue to build those experiences, meet new people, hear their stories, and find common passions.

2. Volunteer Experience/mentor thing – Okay so I volunteered at the conference for a number of different sessions and killed it.  I’m not going to lie, ask my roommates.  But similar to what I was discussing above, the interaction and experience of volunteering was so rewarding.  I got to meet a number of individuals in charge of different aspects of the conference.  I got to chat with many of the presenters, and I got to wear a very cool blue vest. I look forward to doing it next year as well.  In addition I signed up for the mentor mentee program and met a woman who has since then critiqued my resume, given advice and hopefully be a resource in the future. 

3. Sessions – Go to as many sessions as you can!  There is some need for a break at times (especially for those introverts) but every session I went to I took something from.  I tried to attend session that weren’t exactly in my comfort zone and those were even better. The conference is a time to learn and have fun and I think I was able to accomplish both.

4. Who your staying with – Roommates are key.  Thanks for to Nicky for sharing a bed with me and Sara and Christina for being great throughout. 

I am already looking forward to NASPA next year and hope my experience there will be just as wonderful as this years experience was.