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I think the thing that made the greatest impression upon me however, was finding out that "veterans" of financial aid - those that have been financial aid professionals for as much as 30 years - are not infallible. |
WASFAA Happenings ... From the start, it was obvious that this was not the type of financial aid administrator conference that I was accustomed to. Normally when I attend a conference, I feel like I'm the new kid on the block walking into a room full of people who have known each other their whole lives. I have learned that the financial aid community is very tight-knit. Everybody knows everybody, except me. But the Summer Institute is different. The majority of the participants have been in the field for less than two years, like myself, so everyone is in the same boat. I was also lucky enough to be in a small group with a good rapport with one another and a great leader (thanks Paige!). Although I could fill many pages with all of my experiences, I will just highlight a few. On the second day, we had a special guest to guide us through the application process. She had purple hair, thick black glasses, a southern drawl, and an attitude. Her name was Miss Verlene. I can't tell you much about her, as she prefers to remain an enigma. All I know was that there was some mention of her strict Jewish mother and her journey to Florida (fondly referred to as "God's waiting room"). But she did manage to provide a few lucky participants with some much-coveted toilet paper and play matchmaker, all while imparting financial aid wisdom upon us. Other key moments included a thought-provoking diversity presentation by Marsha Dupree, an original version of Janis Joplin's "Lord Won't You Buy Me a Mercedes-Benz" performed by Addalou Davis, and a rousing Professional Judgement module presented by Christopher Stevens. There was a rigorous "Field Research" that took place on Day Four. My field research took me to beautiful Lake Tahoe, followed by the nickel slot machines. In a place like Reno, the possibilities were endless.  I think the thing that made the greatest impression
upon me however, was finding out that "veterans" of
financial aid - those that have been financial aid professionals
for as much as 30 years - are not infallible.
Even they have to look things up in the Bible (oops, I mean the Financial Aid Handbook). Not because they aren't experts, but because the rules and regulations are so dynamic. They seem to change daily. It's impossible for anyone to know everything. Actually, I take that back - I think Julie Arthur does... In any case, I got everything out of the Summer Institute that I hoped I would, and more. I learned new tools and resources for making me better at my job, as I came home with an extra carry-on item (the 10- pound notebook). I met many fascinating people that I look forward to seeing again, hopefully in Hawaii. I can picture myself with my fellow 2002 WASFAA Summer Institute graduates twenty years from now. We will be the financial aid administrators that the "new kids" stand in awe of at the financial aid conferences, wondering if we've known each other our whole lives. |
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