2024 First Timer Annual Session Scholarship Recipient ReflectionsJo Gilreath, Indiana Let me just say “WOW!” – Annual session is quite the experience and I do believe every Active NEAFCS member should attend. Some key takeaways for me were as follows:
Sara Olsen, MS, CHES, Wyoming I attended the 90th Anniversary of the NEAFCS Conference in Tucson in September 2024. It was a great opportunity and one of the best conferences I have attended in my professional career. I am new to Extension and greatly appreciated all the tracks offered. My position is health and well-being focused, with a percentage devoted to 4H. Some of the biggest takeaways I came back with are as follows: Learning and Professional Development: There were many great concurrent sessions offered. Being exposed to new ideas and how they worked at other institutions is so refreshing! I came home with multiple ideas for my area and my Community Vitality and Health team. I can’t wait to share and see if others want to join me in offering a program that I learned about at one of the sessions I attended. Learning the latest trends and best practices is an added benefit. National and State Association: I attended the Regional Business Meeting and Awards Luncheon, and the Annual Business Meeting. It was helpful to put names and faces together and meet these people in person! I also met three of the candidates that we voted for to be our National Leaders. The opportunities to get involved at the national level were very welcoming and in Extension, we all need opportunities to look for advancement, if desired, with our careers. Inspiration and Motivation: I enjoyed engaging with other passionate professionals. I love the Grand Rapids Theme of “Spark” and we all need inspiration and motivation. Extension Educators can get in a rut and these conferences refresh you and give you new perspectives! Access to Resources: At the Exhibit Hall, I was able to connect with Fresh Baby. They sent me a sample for my baby food cooking class! I also stopped by other tables and learned about products and tools available. I also was excited to talk with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau as I need budget and finance programs! They have great publications. Overall, the NEAFCS conference was an awesome experience, and I look forward to attending future conferences as my budget allows. The JW Starr Resort was wonderful. I enjoyed the grounds the cacti were beautiful. So many unique cultural touches were included and having local artisans at the event was a nice touch. I picked up a few souvenirs! In all, the experience was very professionally and personally rewarding and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. Jennifer Taylor, RDN, CHES, New Jersey Attending the NEAFCS Annual Session in Tucson offered me invaluable networking opportunities, which I greatly appreciate as a new member of the organization and extension system. I connected with peers who share similar interests, engaged with field experts, and fostered relationships that may lead to future collaborations. Since returning to New Jersey, I have already reconnected with several individuals I met at the conference. Furthermore, as our Rutgers FCHS team is dispersed across the state, it was a unique experience to interact with colleagues outside of our typical work environment. We had 15 representatives from Rutgers in attendance to celebrate a colleague's induction into the Hall of Fame. A key takeaway from the session was the acquisition of new skills and insights into programs nationwide. I attended several informative sessions on food preservation, and the knowledge gained will be integrated into a project I am currently working on. Additionally, I established connections during these sessions that may lead to collaborative projects. I also explored programs outside my direct scope, such as Mind Matters and financial initiatives, and I have shared this information with my county colleagues. Attending sessions that may not seem directly aligned with my work was enlightening and helped expand my network. Lastly, participating as a delegate was a significant opportunity to contribute to the NEAFCS professional community. Engaging in the business meeting and fulfilling our team’s responsibilities was a rewarding experience. While serving as a delegate may have enhanced my visibility within the field, I was particularly impressed by the deeper connections fostered with other members and the organization as a whole. This experience provided me with a clearer understanding of NEAFCS’s operations both nationally and regionally, and it was a pleasure to interact with leaders in the field as peers throughout the conference. Trinity Brown, Oklahoma Thank you for the opportunity to attend the 2024 NEAFCS Annual Session by providing me with a First-Timer’s Scholarship. At the conference, I had the opportunity to network with FCS professionals from other states, attend informative educational workshops where I learned many new programming ideas, and be recognized for my efforts by receiving the Distinguished Service Award. I attended the “Learn how to create Engaging, Effective and Fun Money Habitudes” workshop. I have taught Money Habitudes in my county, but by going to this workshop I learned about practices that will engage others, by using the workbooks that were provided. I also learned about the teen version card which will be very beneficial working with the youth in my county to help them have a better understanding of their money habits and spending. I enjoyed attending, going to eh Exhibit Hall and getting other educational ideas and making new connections. |
