2024 Endowment Scholarship Recipient Reflections

Cindy Brown, Oregon State University, Oregon

To the Endowment Fund Committee,

Thank you so much for selecting me to be one the ten recipients of the $525 scholarships to attend the NEAFCS Annual Session in Tucson this year! I was so pleased to see the names of the 10 recipients on page 18 of the program booklet, as well as the list of donors at the back.  During the conference, I was able to personally thank two of the three Oregon donors, who were pleased that I won a scholarship, and will write a note to the third who did not attend. 

As a first-timer and a recipient of a regional award, it was a great annual session to attend.  We had 14 people from Oregon, and our states’ night out was really fun with amazing food.  The choice and selection of learning opportunities was wonderful.  Since I have started doing older adult programming, I tried to attend sessions related to that….fall prevention, arthritis, diabetes, etc.  I ended up being a “groupie” for a gal from Tennessee who presented/co-presented four concurrent sessions on those types of topics!

I also realized the fun and value of networking with others with similar interests.  Here in Oregon, we have numerous Extension folks running the “Strong People” strength training program for older adults.  As I personally lift weights, I wore a few t-shirts with weight lifting/longevity mottos during the conference.  Several people commented on them, and I was able to strike up conversations about the “Strong People” program as well as talk in general about the benefits of weight training for women.  

Dana Stanley, Purdue Extension Steuben County, Indiana

What an inspiring week spent in Tucson, AZ.  I am not sure how NEAFCS was able to control the weather for the week, but it was perfect.  Temperatures in the 100’s both the week before and after, but our NEAFCS week – again, perfect.  This made facility and location enjoyable for the week.  Hiking and the lazy river hit the spot for some personal rest and rejuvenation.   

I found the concurrent sessions most inspirational.  Quite literally, I will be requesting curriculum from each concurrent session attended.   From Sleep to Laughter to everything in between - the work educators are doing across the country is tremendous.  I even met my new best friend, Muriel from AZ.  We kept seeing each other in concurrent sessions.  After a short conversation, we realized we do very similar work (low income financial literacy, parenting, and some nutritional education).   We even share a love of houseplants! 

Thanks for an educational and reinvigorating week.  Makes me excited to be an Extension Educator.

Courtney Mercer, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Texas

I was so happy to receive the endowment scholarship to help pay for NEAFCS Conference in Arizona. Without the scholarship, I would not have been able to afford the expense of going. Attending the Biosphere 2 Tour in-depth was probably the high light of my time. It felt like another world and something that is still so relevant to today and our future.

Some Concurrent Sessions I found helpful were Healthy Meals for Busy Families, Book Club, and InTuition. Each one felt like something I could take back to my state and county and implement to help better my community.

Lastly, the networking I did was amazing. I not only grew closer to my state colleagues but also met a lovely FCS Agent in North Carolina. We were able to talk about life, work and what we are doing to impact our community. We also talked about being a professional and the professional challenges we face. I was blessed to meet and talk to another agent from Washington. Meeting these agents from different states is important so I can understand and learn from them.

Naida Young, Roanoke Cooperative Extension, Virginia

The NEAFCS conference provided me with an opportunity to experience what agents were doing across the country. The conference gave us a space to network with agents and learn added resources and topics highlighted in different regions. I was able to attend multiple concurrent sessions and the exhibit hall to learn about innovative programs and tools that will benefit my programs and community. I really enjoyed the first timer orientation where I got to meet new agents and learn how to navigate the conference.

Two of my favorite concurrent sessions were the Women in the Outdoors and Food is Medicine. I am a strong advocate of including physical activity along with nutrition to promote lifestyle changes. I see myself incorporating a walking challenge after a nutrition program and encouraging participants to sign up for The Walking challenge after. On the topic of Food is Medicine, I would like to continue my involvement with local food banks and food pantries with my programming. I have included protein and produce boxes with current educational programs centering on disease prevention and management to help solidify that message. I will continue to support fruit and vegetable consumption with my programming efforts to provide an integrated approach to nutrition education.

The conference was a wonderful way to cap off my first year in Extension. I am grateful for the connections I made and encouraged to grow in my second year as an agent. I look forward to next year in Grand Rapids!

Shannon Adcock, North Carolina State University, North Carolina

I want to express my sincere thanks to the awards committee for awarding me a scholarship. The money I received went towards my lodging and it was a key component in making it possible for me to attend my first national NEAFCS conference. This conference afforded me numerous opportunities for connection and camaraderie, for learning and for
professional growth. I will touch on a few of the highlights of my time there. 

Being surrounded by hundreds of FCS agents was an experience I will never forget. I took time to interact with those around me and in the course of natural conversation learned about program possibilities I had never thought of. One agent has had great success teaching cooking classes to patients in rehab centers and women in domestic violence shelters. I look forward to partnering with some of these agencies and getting this accomplished. I believe that as these citizens gain skill in nutrition and cooking they will also gain confidence, self esteem, joy, and perhaps even a sense of purpose. I attended the session Documenting and Sharing FCS Success Stories which was led by Kim Chaney-Bay and Karen Frank of Tennessee. While the information in the session was extremely detailed it was also easy to follow. The team walked us through how to best collect information for a success story that included detailed pointers on how to collect information with examples of actual feedback. They also provided us with a model for organizing information which is something that I will certainly use. In short, they did a wonderful job outlining how to write a powerful Success Story.

I attended the session Dementia Friends: Turning Understanding into Action which was led by several agents from Idaho. These agents used a variety of engaging media to explain the difference between dementia and Alzheimer’s, factors that can increase the risk for dementia and Alzheimer’s and much more. The most impactful part of this session for me personally was when they explained how a caregiver can communicate with non verbal patients in a way that leaves them feeling uplifted. I gained a great deal both professionally and personally at NEAFCS National Conference and I look forward to attending more in the future.

Mary Morris, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, North Carolina

Attending the NEAFCS National Conference in Tucson, AZ, this year was such a treat. Whenever I go to a National Conference, I always come back reenergized and refreshed with new ideas and encouraged that NEAFCS is making a difference. It’s always great to hear what my colleagues are doing across the Nation and make connections with other Agents in other States.  This year’s Conference was not only in a beautiful location, but the sessions were informative along with our speakers. I especially enjoyed our Keynote Speaker, Dr. Nia Imani Fields, who spoke on equality and our roles in Extension. 

The incorporation of the cultures throughout the week was amazing, and I was able to learn from colleagues who are doing the same work as we are. One of the sessions I attended on “Family and Consumer Sciences is STEM” has inspired me to come back and share the information with our 4-H Agent and other staff. I learned how we can circle in not only 4-H but FCS in STEM activities. We plan to do a brainstorming session on ways to implement FCS as STEM and how to report it.  Every time I go to the Annual Session I always learn and bring something back that will be very valuable to our County and our State to improve the lives of our citizens.

Melissa Bales, Clemson Extension, South Carolina

Thank you so much for choosing me to be a recipient of one of the endowment scholarships. I feel truly blessed to have received this opportunity to attend the annual session and learn more about the association and what members are doing across the country.

As someone who is new to the organization and new to the annual session, I had so much fun learning more about the association, how its run, and how everyone can support each other. It meant a lot to me that I had several individuals express to me how excited they were to have the SC affiliate back in the organization and share their insightful knowledge about how their affiliates run, tips for leadership roles, and general advice from others in the association about how to make the most of the opportunity.

There were so many great sessions this year. I enjoyed learning about all the different projects people are doing and got some new ideas for more ways to incorporate students into our work and other types of programming we could explore in the future. The session on publications was also super informative for me to hear the whole process and how we can be involved to help others share their work as well as sharing ours.

This was a wonderful annual session and I met so many lovely individuals from many different states. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity and look forward to being able to attend again in the future!

Jasmine Carey, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Texas

This was my second year attending the NEAFCS Annual Session and it did not disappoint. I was able to participate in every round of the concurrent sessions, general sessions, an in-depth session, and a few of the exhibit forums. I attended the in-depth session titled “From Farm to Kitchen and Back Again”, where we got to tour different greenhouses and a 4-H center. We were shown how they facilitate team building, the vegetables they are growing, the teaching kitchen, and their art garage. I left this session with SO many ideas of things I can do in my state. This in-depth session showed me how much a small program can grow to create many opportunities for the community.

Lastly, the annual session provides a great opportunity to network with my coworkers from Texas and meet new people from all over the US. I was able to have many conversations with experienced extension agents from other states. From these conversations, I gained tips and advice on being a successful agent for many years to come.

I am very grateful for the endowment scholarship I received from NEAFCS, without it I would not have been able to attend the 2024 Annual Session.

Amber Webb, Colorado State University Extension, Colorado

Thank you again for awarding me with the endowment scholarship for the 2024 Annual Session. As the current Colorado Chapter membership chair for NEAFCS and being a first timer attendee, it offered me such a great professional development opportunity to assist me in my current position as Family Consumer Sciences Specialist at Colorado State University Extension.

The area of programming that I specialize in is consumer and commercial food safety, food preservation and preparation, and community nutrition. During the conference, I was able meet other FCS Extension professionals and learn about resources and support available to me as an Extension Specialist, learn about innovative programs being offered, and made some great connections.  I especially enjoyed attending the first timer’s session as well as the membership chair meeting. I met with other membership chairs, and we were led through an exercise to share our challenges and successes with promoting membership. We had tangible takeaways that I will apply moving forward when working on new membership yearly. Being able to bring back this first-hand experience to the work that I do in Larimer County will certainly improve the quality of programming that I can offer and contribute to my success as a state chapter membership chair. Thanks again for this valuable opportunity!

Esther Hernandez, Family and Consumer Sciences Agent, New Mexico

A huge thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend the NEAFCS Annual Conference in Tucson, Arizona.  As a first timer, I was given so much support and guidance from the NEAFCS members and was encouraged to apply for scholarship assistance.  I received a $525 scholarship that paid for the registration fee and $245 to pay for any extra expenses.   This made it possible for me to be able to attend a wonderful conference this year in Tucson.

The first day at the NEAFCS Annual Conference was amazing!  Colleagues attending the conference would always approach me with a smile and a warm hug which made me feel welcomed as a new NEAFCS member.  Throughout the week I met new colleagues that gave me the opportunity to learn from their work experiences; giving me hope and a desire to continue doing great things.  Just talking and listening to their delightful and intriguing stories warmed my heart.  On many occasions, laughter with tears running down our faces was so inspiring and contagious after listening to hilarious stories with colleagues.  Can’t say how much I appreciated this good laughter which helped me get a good night’s rest.

The sessions I selected were topics related to Health & Wellbeing, Lifespan Development & Family Relationships, and Financial Health & Capability.  All the speakers conducted their presentations with professionalism and knowledge.   I learned so much in the 45 minutes given for each session.  Truthfully, I wanted more time in each session attended but understand that there were so many other sessions needed for our professional growth.  Nonetheless, I appreciate all the handouts with resources that have allowed me to continue researching on topics pertaining to my community’s needs. Because of this great and unforgettable experience, I look forward to attending next year’s NEAFCS Annual Conference!   

Thank you for an incredible conference!  I appreciate all the NEAFCS leaders who made this conference in Tucson a success for us all!