First Time at the STC Summit

Bethany Bowles

By Bethany Bowles
Mentoring Co-Chair/FTC Liaison
Orlando Central Florida Chapter STC

As a first time attendee, I really had no idea what to expect from this year’s Society for Technical Communication Summit in Rosemont-Chicago. Armed with business cards (thanks to the advice of the wonderful Patricia Cruz), I embarked with my mentor, Dan Voss on quite an adventure.

Receiving our chapter’s Community of the Year Award on-stage at the Honors Banquet (Photo by Rick Lippincott)

From the beginning, it was a whirlwind of activity. I went from presenting a progression with Dan at the Leadership

program, to attending the education sessions on a multitude of topics, to meeting technical communicators from around the world, to wandering around the expo hall with a new friend collecting swag. Telling the stories of each fascinating person I met, all the opportunities I learned about, and the knowledge I gained would require more words than I can reasonably put in this single article. Really, the best way to explain what the Summit was like for me would be to list some of highlights of my experience:

Highlights:

• Celebrating the three major awards our chapter received at the Honors Banquet
• Receiving an extremely positive response to the progression Dan and I did on mentoring
• Connecting with students from around the country over deep-dish pizza
• Receiving my certificate for being inducted into the Sigma Tau Chi Honor Society from Hillary Hart, STC’s immediate past president
• Voting at the annual business meeting
• Being coerced by fellow members of the Community Affairs Committee to sing an Irish Drinking Song (alcohol-free, of course)
• Meeting STC members face-to-face, who I only knew by email previously
• Meeting Jenny Mellquist, an Orlando Chapter member who lives in Sweden
• Collecting dozens of business cards from connections made

An unexpected meeting with Jenny Mellquist, our chapter’s international member.

As a student, I needed this exposure to the fantastic representation of the technical communication profession. While I had high hopes for the Summit, I can honestly say that the experience exceeded all expectations. Not only did I enjoy my time there, I believe I gained knowledge and connections that will help me in my future career. I hope you all will considering attending next year’s Summit in Atlanta, Georgia on May 5-8. I know I would not miss it!

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