We have fun in Region I
There are few times throughout the year where I force myself to shift from an introvert to full blown extrovert, and one of those time/situations are conferences. This past weekend I took part in my third (and sadly, final) ACUI Region I Fall Conference. This year I had the incredible opportunities to serve on the conference planning team as social media + technology coordinator, as well as co-present two ed sessions, a flash session, and co-facilitate a round table discussion on social justice.
In my time as an undergrad, I've attended two other regional conferences and one international conference, but I have to say that this past weekend was by far, my best experience with ACUI. In 2010, after attending the regional conference at Bryant University, I made the "official" decision to pursue a career in higher education and student affairs and never looked back. After the 2011 regional conference at UNH, I knew I wanted to give back to the Region in some way and decided to apply for the CPT. I was beyond grateful and excited to serve on this year's conference planning team with some of the most awesome people I have ever come across.
As social media and technology coordinator, I was chiefly responsible for creating the conference program book supplement using the mobile app Guidebook, scheduling tweets through the Regions twitter account, and creating the conference social media challenge. When drafting the social media challenge I wanted to create an opportunity for delegates to connect with the Region, Association, and other delegates through the use of mediums like twitter, facebook, and even the new land of instagram. I was referred to several times by delegates as the "social media lady;" a name I wore proudly as I hauled my box full of tiny buttons around with me everywhere I went. The majority of participants in the SoMe "challenge" were undergraduates, which was totally awesome and a little unexpected. I always get really inspired when I read the conference back channel during the weekend and loved seeing what professionals, grads, and, especially, undergrads were gaining through their participation in conference programming.
Today I realized that this was last official hoo-rah with Region I. It's hard to articulate exactly how grateful I am to everyone I have encountered through my involvement in ACUI. I'm forever inspired by the enthusiasm, excitement, and downright love of the field that is displayed by all of my friends and colleagues who are in the profession, full-time. As I continue to follow the path towards a career in student affairs, I can only hope to be a quarter of the professional that they are. I'm also continually overwhelmed and humbled by the support that folks in the Region have given me throughout my short time participating in regional and international activities. As I look to head out west to a new region, I hope that I can continue to carry the excitement, enthusiasm and love of the field that Region I has helped to bestow upon me. My involvement in ACUI revealed the importance of professional organizations for building community within a field, and I'm grateful for the community I found in Region I.
