Keynote: Erin Garber-Pearson is a multimedia artist, circus performer, and play enthusiast who splits her time between Tucson, Arizona and Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Erin spoke about how important it is to find time to play in our daily lives as it helps us build resilience, even as an adult. Her message gave tools to help us learn how to “play” and was interactive with NeASFAA being able to practice their scarf juggling skills.
Philanthropy: Kearney/Buffalo County CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) is set of volunteers from the community who stand up and are a voice for abused and neglected children. They asked for donations to help comfort children who have experienced abuse, neglect, and trauma. NeASFAA raised $985 in monetary donations on top of many physical items such as stuffed animals and colors to help support the Kearney/Buffalo County CASA.
Award Recipients:
- Rookie of the Year: Korri Risinger, Wayne State College
- Bob Minturn Special Recognition: Tom Ochsner, Nebraska Wesleyan University
- Distinguished Service Award: Jordan Eisenmenger, Central Community College
Breakout Topics: This years breakout sessions had a little bit of everything, from working thought a SAI hand calculation to Excel Tips and Tricks. There was also a session on “Next Steps with Al” which discussed to how to use Al and how it can be beneficial to your job. “Difficult Conversations: Getting Comfortable with the Elephant in the Room” was another breakout which discussed how to have some of those difficult conversations with your students whether it be delivering bad new, dealing with difficult people, or dealing with a difficult topic.
Richie Updates: Ritchie with the Coordinating Commission of Post-Secondary Nebraska gave us an update on how the legislative process works in our unicameral as well as some of the changes to programs and funding that we can expect our students to experience moving forward.