A First Timer’s Reflections from the Annual Conference

At lunch, First Timers listen to Beth Gilfillan’s path to president and the many growth opportunities IACAC has to offer

By Cristina Estrada
Saint Xavier University

Being a first timer, I was expecting the IACAC Annual Conference to be a very overwhelming experience. However, all the sessions were very well organized, well thought out, and provided great information for professionals, both new and more seasoned. The First Timer’s Luncheon was such a wonderful experience. The Disney theme, especially the singing, made it fun and easy to network with other new professionals. We all bonded over costumes, favorite Disney movies, and of course songs.

One of the conference sessions that really stuck out to me was Guiding the Way to Inclusion: Increasing Access and Opportunity. The speakers gave frightening statistics around the ACT math college readiness benchmark and what that could mean for college readiness and success. They shared stories around evolving with the changes in their student population. This was especially helpful as a college admission counselor, because it helped us consider the needs of all students and how colleges may partner with high schools in order to help students from all backgrounds be successful in college and beyond.