GUEST WRITER - Karla Silva

Hey everyone!

I am really excited to share a blog post with you all. A few quick details about myself: I am in the higher education cohort with Wesley, I came straight from undergrad (Northern Arizona University), born and raised in Phoenix, AZ, graduate associate in Sansom (upper classmen and graduate students), and my assistantship is with the Dana How Scholars Program (Collaboration between the Christian Association and the Upward Bound program).

Spring break was last week, and the second part of my spring break was spent in Baltimore, MD attending the NASPA conference! NASPA is the National Association of Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education. It is one big conference full of undergraduates, graduate students, administrators, faculty, and staff. There are a ton of different workshops you can attend, roundtable discussions, and receptions. Many of my cohort members did TPE (The Placement Exchange) which, as I have been told, is like speed dating only you are trying to find a job. I did not participate in TPE but many of my cohort members did and they had many interviews and have even received a few second round interviews.

This was my second time attending NASPA, I attended once before as a Junior, my experience this time was very different. Last time I came in trying to get to know more about the profession, and networking. This time, I came in with a purpose, to network, network, network, because lets be real, I need a job! Also, to gain some meaningful experiences, and attend workshops that would better me as a professional. My job search is extremely narrow as I am only looking in Fort Collins, CO and possibly Greeley, CO and Denver, CO. I made sure to be strategic about what receptions I was attending, making sure I went to Region 4 west and to any receptions that I knew administrators would attend, so for example, the Colorado State University reception. As long as these receptions state (open) in the program then you are welcomed to attend. If you know people that went to these schools or that are currently there, do not be afraid to ask them if they can introduce you to some people or even give you some information as to who they are and what they do at the school. Also, make sure to talk to as many people as you can and exchange your business cards with them, and also e-mail them a thank you as soon as you can. To keep all these people straight in my head, I always write where I met them on the back of the card, and anything that will remind me of who they were and maybe one or two things we talked about, this is a tip my mentor gave me and it has worked great for me. NASPA is also a great way to meet up with colleagues and friends who you haven’t seen in awhile. I was able to have lunch and chat with my mentor and other friends and colleagues from my undergraduate and past conferences while at NASPA.

Some Cohort Members

NASPA can be incredibly overwhelming but it can be very rewarding. Attending these types of conferences really enhances your network and professional development. NASPA 2014 really was a great experience, I was able to connect with many people, attend workshops, spend time with my cohort, and even explore the city of Baltimore.

Baltimore Inner Harbor