Post-Conference Reflections from Our 2024 Jim Rhatigan Recipients: Megs Ricci

Currently, as a second year graduate student and full time professional in the field, life is always busy. I was fortunate enough to receive the Jim Rhatigan Fellowship which made it possible to attend my second NASPA Annual Conference in Seattle! After the conference, I took time to reflect on what it meant to be able to attend this year's NASPA Annual. The one item that I kept highlighting was community and belonging. My first NASPA Annual was in Boston in 2023. Everything was so new and a little overwhelming. I was so new to the profession as a whole and had no idea where to go or how to truly connect with people. This year, I got involved with the NASPA Graduate Associate Program (GAP) and connected with the New Professional and Graduate Student Steering Committee (NPGS SC). 

This truly helped me create a community of folks who are having similar experiences as me. This sense of belonging in the field is something I’ll carry with me throughout my years in the profession. I was able to make connections with folks from all over the country that I get to call colleagues, people I’ll be able to see at a future NASPA or even just reach out to ask how their school is handling an issue or topic. This Annual really solidified that this was the career for me. Seeing so many folks caring about the same issues I do and having similar passions was so inspiring as a graduate and new professional. I am so grateful to have been able to attend this year's NASPA and I look forward to many more.

All blogs in the "Post-Conference Reflections from Our 2024 Jim Rhatigan Recipients" series were written in 2024, shortly after the 2024 NASPA Annual Conference.