by Sarah Gatling, College of Charleston
Six students. Three days. One unbelievable opportunity.
In late February 2008, the College of Charleston Department of Communication Advisory Board, of which Steve Cody is a member, offered students the chance to be the first student volunteers to participate in the Counselors Academy Spring Conference. After the application and interview process, myself and five other students were chosen to be the representatives. On May 17, we piled into a van destined for Naples, excited to meet people who we thought embodied the essence of PR.
On first arrival, after our technical briefing with Jason Anthoine and Abbie Fink, we walked into Sunday night's reception not knowing what to expect. We were grateful for the welcome we received, and left knowing we would work as hard as we could to make our school and the members of the Counselors Academy proud.
Throughout the conference, along with reporting on the various sessions and keynote speakers, we gained invaluable insight into the profession. Tom Amberg opened our millennial eyes to the reverse mentoring relationships we will encounter in our careers. In honor of Lynn Casey, we all plan to carry on the spirit of continuous learning so that the world and profession we work in continues to grow.
Our hard work and learning matched the fun we had. Darryl Salerno's breakout session, English as a First Language, will always cause us to question our spelling and pronunciation. After a great learning experience interviewing our respective SAGE member at lunch, we will continue to debate whether we had key lime pie or cheesecake for dessert.
And to Steve Knipstein: the challenge to the best waterslide ride still stands.
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