Advice Consistently Heard: Go to the IACAC Annual Conference

By Amy Wieland, Trinity High School

“Are you going to the Annual Conference in May?” “You NEED to go to the Annual Conference!” This echoed over and over again from several different experienced counselors that I have met over the last eight months. I started at my high school four weeks into the school year and I was diving into the deep end of application season. I had no idea what I was getting myself into, and to be quite frank, I’m not sure how I survived! Well, I actually do know how I survived. It was from the help of several colleagues who answered my endless questions and kept pointing me in the right direction.

One of the bits of advice that I commonly received in the beginning was to attend the IACAC Annual Conference in the spring. I had never heard of it before but because I was new and was leaning solely on the recommendations of others to guide me through my first year, I knew I had to go. And I can confidently say, I am so glad that I did!

The experience that I had is hard to put into words. I left each of the sessions with more information than I expected but more than that, I left the conference knowing there are so many wonderful and intelligent people who are so willing to help! I left refreshed and ready to tackle a new school year. I feel confident and prepared to assist my students. I know that where I lack knowledge or information, IACAC and its members are at my finger tips and ready to help.