Conference: Helping Others Succeed

By Josh Binder
Conference Grant Recipient
Aurora University

It is literally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed. —Napoleon Hill

To me, this quote embodies what the annual IACAC Conference represents. Each year we get together as colleagues and friends to see how we can improve professionally, which is the general idea behind professional development. However, at IACAC, something else happens as well, we build relationships (no pun intended) with each other and the lasting effect of that is priceless.

Outside of conference, we see one another at college fairs and high school visits, and perhaps a random coffee shop or outlet mall. But we don’t always have the opportunity to engage with each other and talk business and/or pleasure. This is why conference is so enjoyable; everyone seems to be on the same page. We all want to learn and get better, but we also want to have some fun while doing it. What I find ironic, is, isn’t that what all of us preach to our students each year? Isn’t that what college and education should be about? Learning, improving, but never forgetting to have FUN!

When we leave conference each year, I am confident that we have all improved in some aspect of our life, whether it is personally or professionally. Our job as counselors is to provide the best support and information for students to succeed. IACAC provides us that opportunity, and our students are the ones who benefit most.