The ability to attend national conferences where students can network with professionals is one of the opportunities students at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point take full advantage of. That includes four students from UWSP’s family and consumer science program who were in attendance at the National Council on Family Relations annual conference in Phoenix this year.
With great speakers and a strong organization, Nicole Bruhn, Stephanie Alwin, Melanie Wolff, Shelby Langreck got plenty of networking opportunities and were taught an understanding of the importance of ongoing professional development and networking.
“Students who go to the conference and network, get it,” said Professor Sterling Wall, faculty adviser of the University Council on Family Relations Stevens Point (UCFRSP). “Those that don’t go never really realize what they are missing until they graduate and are looking for jobs and wondering why they can’t find any.”
For the fourth year in a row at NCFR, UWSP students hosted a speed mentoring session where about 20 professionals from academia, extension, and outreach were paired with 40 students who gave rapid-fire introduction and feedback to one another in 30- to 60-second intervals. Alwin and Wolff each received a student research fund grant of $300 from the university to support their travel.
UW-Stevens Point was also represented during the poster presentations at NCFR. UW-Stevens Point alumna Alicia Gaede ’10 and Wall presented a poster summarizing the last four years of the speed mentoring project and the lessons learned. Assistant Professor Cuiting Li, along with Wall, also presented about her experiences assimilating into the American system of higher education.
The conference tour continues as UWSP will be sending 20 students to the Minnesota state NCFR conference later this month.