If I could use one word to describe my experience at SEAHO 2016 in Raleigh, NC, it would be amazing. My first SEAHO was an incredible experience to connect, reconnect, mentor, engage, learn, reflect, and grow. As a new professional intending to remain in the Housing field and live in the SEAHO region, I am happy to say that I believe SEAHO will be my main professional home.
As a member of the Governing Council, I have been able to participate in SEAHO business meetings since last October. As such, I have seen the SEAHO passion that members such as Kathy Hobgood and Countess Hughes exhibit in a more behind the scenes setting. When I first joined the GC, I was so impressed by the amount of thought and work put into how the SEAHO GC operates. I loved being able to connect with other State Reps as we worked to provide direction for the future of SEAHO. Being at my first SEAHO, it was so nice to see familiar GC faces all around the conference. I know how relieved I was when the endowment proposal was passed, I can only imagine how relieved Kathy and Countess were! I, along with other State Reps, felt confident in the decision SEAHO made to secure its financial future.
KAHO has undergone a great bit of change recently and the state of higher education in Kentucky is currently under financial threat by the newly elected Governor. It was so nice that Kentucky delegates were able to come together at the State meeting to converse about how the budget was affecting their campuses. I believe it is helpful when we know there are others out there who are going through the same experiences. It makes you feel understood and supported. Our Kentucky state meeting provided a space for those conversations.
At my program presentation with Jimmie Martin, we were able to have wonderful discussion and dialogue with our participants. Talking about the topic of evaluating and motivating returning staff members, the discussion sparked a participant to collect business cards to start an email thread. Our participants wanted to continue the conversation after the conference! As a first-time attendee and presenter, this helped me to feel confident in my professional abilities to engage in dialogue with colleagues across the field and region.
As a participant in the SEAHONext program, I was able to engage in a mentoring relationship with a graduate student. I have always loved mentoring relationships, and I really enjoyed being able to provide some perspective about life after graduate school. I would give any grad student the same advice I gave my mentee- Enjoy your cohort now. You will miss them when you all go your separate ways and there is nothing quite like a grad school cohort.
Attending program presentations that were dedicated to Housing topics was so great because I could find so many topics that related to my current position. I attended some presentations that allowed me an opportunity to reflect on why and how we currently do things at MSU. I attended others that gave me ideas to incorporate to improve our Residence Education program. Overall, I believe attending SEAHO allowed me to grow as a professional as I have incorporated SEAHO ideas into my daily work.
One of the most enjoyable things about attending SEAHO was reconnecting with colleagues from my undergraduate institution (The University of Virginia’s College at Wise) and my graduate institution (Clemson University). Being able to connect the dots between my life changing RA experience to my impactful graduate experience to where I now am professionally through seeing and speaking with people who made a difference on my life along the way was a great opportunity for reflection.
I truly feel like I was able to Capitalize on my opportunity to attend SEAHO. As I mentioned earlier, I believe SEAHO will be my professional home for the foreseeable future. I cannot wait for SEAHO 2017 in Chattanooga!
Submitted by Erin Edwards, Morehead State University
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