#ACPeh: ACPA 2016 Convention in Montréal Recap!

Hi Y'all! I know I haven't posted in over a week - sorry about that! All of this travel has got my posting schedule thrown off a bit and I've been trying to get on top of all of my other life-stuff before getting back into the groove of posting 2 blog entries and 2 videos each week. But I'm back and feeling a bit caught up on everything, so it's time for a bit of a recap!

A week an a half ago my friends Erin, Cullen and I road tripped up to Montréal! Erin and I were attending the ACPA 2016 Convention and Cullen tagged along as his job has an office in the area that he could work from. The adventure commenced early Saturday morning. We stopped at a local restaurant to get breakfast sandwiches and coffee and we were northbound! My friend/fellow Laser Andrew who is a second year grad at UVM met up with us in Burlington for lunch and showed us around the world famous (or should I say famous in the world of Student Activities/Student Unions) Davis Center!

About an hour and forty-five minutes more of driving we arrived in Montréal and immediately started exploring! Erin and I checked in at the conference center and then we made our way to Montréal En Lumiere (one of my Montréal Bucket List items) which was this awesome free festival of lights in the middle of the city! We spent most of the night there eating delicious Beligian waffles and poutine (another item off the list!), practicing our French (which was mainly me teaching them how to speak French XD), and listening to live music. We attempted to find a bar to stop in for a drink on the way back but after an hour of searching around could NOT for the life of us find somewhere that wasn't super upscale, so we just settled for the hotel bar so we could at least get out of the cold!

We stumbled upon the Montréal Olympic House on our way to the festival!

Grumpy cats.

Our new BFF.

Sunday we had some time to kill in the morning, so we checked out Marché Jean-Talon (Another item from the list! Crushed the bucket list pretty hard within the first 24 hours!) for brunch. We got crepes, maple snow on a stick (one of my fave Canadian treats) and walked around for a bit learning how to say different foods in French. After our little stroll we headed up Mount Royal (the mountain Montréal is named after) to catch a breathtaking view of the city! We finished up the afternoon with some lunch at this neat vegetarian Mexican restaurant and I got the nachos which were INCREDIBLE but also a big enough serving for about 4 other people.

If you opened the drawer at the table you were sitting at you would find tons of notes from past patrons. Such a cool idea - I was in love with it! Of course, we had to leave a note of our own.

After a quick break at the hotel it was time to head over to the convention center for Convention kick-off! We started out pretty low-key by attending a few receptions and the opening ceremony. We definitely needed to take the first night of convention easy as we had a long, long convention chock-full of learning and networking ahead of us.

The opening ceremony incorporated a Native ritual and spoke to the Native Canadian history. 

This was really cool to experience as Native history often gets overlooked in the United States.

The first full day of convention was packed with educational sessions starting right from 8:30PM and running until 4PM. I went to a few very interesting sessions on social media, one of which spoke to what to expect if you or a student of yours goes viral on the internet and what implications that would have on the profession (how would we support our students in that situation?). I had a bit of a life curve-ball thrown at me in the afternoon which made the day a bit weird in general, but I was happy to have my good friend and colleague Erin there to give me support. We spent the evening going out for dumplings in Chinatown (our hotel was right down the street from it) and crashing various receptions (such as the Friend of Ohio State reception, pictured below) to meet new people. We woundup at the LGBTA Soirée later in the evening and danced the night away!

Full-day #2 was more of the same - tons of educational sessions, receptions, and meeting new people from all over the field. My *favorite* component of the conference was on this day - the #HigherEdLive Contested Issues in Student Affairs debates. This was one of the highlighted sessions where pairs of HigherEd professionals debated over hot topics in the field such as "Is having a Master's degree in Higher Education really the best preparation for a career in Student Affairs?", "Is coddling good for students?", and "Is it better to move up in your institution or move out to another institution?". I hope that they continue this session as a tradition at ACPA because these are the things I love seeing discussed in our field! 

We ended the last evening by attending the traditional PechaKuchas put on by several professionals as well as the LGBTA Cabaret, another ACPA tradition. I left these events at the end of the evening feeling more connected to this association than I've really ever felt to another other professional association that I've tried out thus far. I've heard a lot of my colleagues talking about "finding your professional home" but I never really understood that until I attended this year's convention and I have to be honest - it feels really great. I'm hoping to become more involved in ACPA in some way, shape, or form over the next year to see where it takes me.

"We are part of an association that put who we are as PEOPLE ahead of who we are as professionals."

We squeezed one last educational session in on the last morning before scooping up some Montréal bagels (which A. another item off the list and B. OMG ARE MY NEW FAVORITE FOOD OF ALL TIME AJGHLJGHLAJFHKJAS) and heading home to the States. Needless to say, I really enjoyed my time in Canada and would love to visit again soon. I'm looking forward to getting more involved with ACPA as a professional and hope to be a part of the 2017 Convention in Columbus, Ohio!

Montréal Bucket List

As mentioned in my previous post, I'm heading up to the Great White North tomorrow for ACPA 2016! We will have some free time this weekend to check the city out, and as I haven't been up to Montréal since I was in middle school (and we were really there for my sister's softball tournament anyway), I'm totally up for some tourist-ing while I'm there! Here's a quick list of what I hope to accomplish while I'm in Canada over the next couple of days!

Get welcomed by a talking beaver.

  This is one of my favorite classic YouTube videos and I wish this was a thing that actually happened in Canada (though it totally seems like it could happen, right?). Such a friendly little beaver! Though I know, unfortunately, I won't be able to check this off the list, I wanted to include this on the list for laughs I highly encourage you to click play for a smile! (Make sure that your volume is turned on!) And don't worry - he does get rescued from the highway without injury!

Eat poutine.

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This is kind of a no-brainer. I mean, did you even go to Canada if you don't eat Poutine? You can get this Canadian delicacy literally anywhere in country it seems, so I'm looking forward to getting a nice heaping plate of warm fries and gravy!

Visit Montréal en Lumière.

This is a cool winter night time festival that I stumbled upon while searching for things to do in my free time and it just so happens we'll be arriving in Montréal on the very last night! This will be a cool little re-acquaintance to the city packed with lights, shops, rides, entertainment, and (one of my favorite Canadian treats) maple syrup taffy! YUM.   Test out a Montréal-style bagel.  

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I didn't even realize this was a thing until Erin and Cullen pointed it out to me. Apparently in Montréal, bagels are prepared much differently than the New York style bagel that we north easterners are used to. Bagels are probably my favorite food, so of course I'm down for eating one of these bad boys every morning that I'm up there!

Get a Tim Horton's every day.

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Speaking of breakfast, I totally need to get a Tim Horton's coffee every day while I'm in Montréal. I remember when I was in middle school and my family was in Montréal for my sister's softball tournaments, it was a morning ritual for all of the adults to grab some Tim Horton's before early games. Now that I'm a coffee drinker (#adultlife) I need to know what the hype is all about! I know Canadians love their Tim Horton's the way I love my Dunks, so I'm all in!

Take a stroll through Marché Jean-Talon.

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Last, but not least, is the Marché Jean-Talon. I'm a big fan of large markets like this so I would love to check it out for some fresh fruits to bring back to the hotel room. Markets are also an awesome way to connect with the culture of the city a bit more which is what traveling is all about! I'm definitely hoping that we can squeeze this into our free time while we're up north!

Do you have any suggestions of things I can do while in Montréal?

Leave them in the comments!

Professional Convention Survival Kit

Happy Convention Season, everyone! Several huge conventions and conferences have already come and gone both nationally and in my region (NACA, NODA, and NGLA, to name a few!) and we're knocking on the door of our field's biggest conventions of the year - the ACPA National Convention in Montréal, and the NASPA National Convention in Indianapolis! I'm lucky enough to be able to attend ACPA with a colleague and friend of mine from MHC and I'm super excited! This will be my first professional convention as an #SApro and I couldn't be more thrilled to network with colleagues from all around the world!

As I gear up for my time in Canada I'm reflecting back on my first time at a professional conference and thinking about all the things I wish I knew before. I've compiled a little survival kit for all of you first time conference-goers so hopefully you can feel comfortable, prepared, and you can totally focus on networking and learning during your time at your convention! I wrote this with mainly Student Affairs conventions in mind, but this can very easily translate to professional conventions of other fields, so please feel free to incorporate whatever makes sense into your professional convention survival kit!

1. Water Bottle

This is super-duper important. When you're at a conference, you might be walking around way more than you realize and probably drinking more coffee than you realize to make it through these long days. Make sure you always have a bottle of water in your bag to sip on throughout the day. I recommend the 17.5 oz. S'well bottle - I've had mine for over a year and I love it. It will keep your water nice and cold for 24 hours which is perfect for being in the convention center without access to a refrigerator throughout the day.

2. Comfy-yet-Professional Shoes

As I mentioned in my last post, you're walking a lot during a professional convention and those heels that might look sharp on the morning of Day 1 will likely make your poor feet beg for mercy by lunch time! If you opt for heels, I would recommend sticking a professional pair of flats in your bag to change into if you want to give your feet a break in the middle of the day. You'll be comfy and still look super profesh.

3. Pocket-Pack of Tissues

The last thing you want mid-educational-session is a runny nose and no option of what to do about it. A pocket-pack of tissues is a perfect solution - it's tiny, fits right in your bag or pocket, and can potentially be a life saver when you can't get to a bathroom or back to your hotel room for a while. Keep one of these on hand for some peace of mind!

4. Gum or Mints

When you're at a conference, you're talking and networking with lots of people throughout the entire event and that even includes directly after you had that bowl of pasta with extra garlic bread during your lunch break. Pack some gum or mints with you in your bag or pockets for when your mouth is feeling a little gross and you can't get back to your hotel room to brush your teeth.

5. Lip Balm

Convention centers can be on the dryer side and depending on what region of the country you're traveling to, the wind or sun can be a bit more intense making chapped lips a big possibility. Combine that with the amount of talking you'll likely be doing (be it through presenting, networking, or some good old fashioned socializing), it can be a pretty uncomfortable time to have cracked, dry lips. Pack a good moisturizing lip balm (mine's the classic original Chapstick moisturizer with SPF 12) to keep your lips feeling good!

6. Excedrin/Tylenol/Advil etc. & Any Medication Needs

Headaches are pretty common for me and with all of the walking, talking, long hours, and caffeine that a convention entails, they seem to be triggered even easier. Always having an emergency supply of pain relief in my bag is key for conference-going (and for life) so I can feel like myself throughout each day. Also remember to take along any other medication needs you might have and are able to bring with you comfortably so you don't have to miss a session you've been eyeing by running back to your room!

7. Business Cards

As I've said several times before in this post, networking is a big part of conferences! Having some business cards handy is always way easier than scrambling for a pen and paper to write down your information for someone. My institution has provided me with business cards, but if you don't have university-issued cards, it is relatively cheap to print your own. I used Moo as a grad student and you can make some really cool cards! Remember to keep your information simple and to the point, including your name, title, institution, and a means of contacting you.

8. Something to Write With & Something to Write On

Conventions are also a great place to learn! Educational sessions are probably my favorite parts about conventions and I take a *ton* of notes when learning from my colleagues. Having a way to write down things you want to remember to bring back to campus with you is always handy! I like to carry a small notebook & a pen (I'm planning on using my FoxyDori and my favorite Pilot G2 pens!) but sometimes I opt for my iPad and the Microsoft OneNote app instead.

9. Your Convention's Electronic Program

Many conventions are adopting an electronic program which I'm a huge fan of! These apps allow you to add any session you want to attend to a schedule and it pings you when it's close to time to that session which is so helpful when you get distracted with everything that goes on at a convention. I've used guidebook and a specialized NACA electronic program, and for ACPA '16 the convention program is on an app called CrowdCompass. If you utilize a smartphone or a tablet during your time at a convention, I highly recommend using one of these apps in favor of toting around the giant convention guidebook!

10. Portable Power Bank + Phone Charger

These things are a total life saver when you're in the convention center all day! It's likely that you'll be constantly checking your electronic program, tweeting along at educational sessions, and texting your colleagues to set up lunch plans. Usually a portable power bank will hold at least one full charge worth of power for your phone, so having one charged up and ready to go will help you out when you don't have time to search high and low for an outlet!

I hope this little survival kit helps you get through your convention of choice this season!

Let me know what your convention survival essential is in the comments!