One of the easiest ways to make NCFR your academic “home away from home” is to become invested in the organization throughout the year. For me, becoming involved meant volunteering to help with the conference sessions designed for students and new professionals (SNPs). The yearly workshops on getting into graduate school or finding the perfect job are a great resource for students, and I wanted to be part of the process and do some good along the way. As a new graduate student I volunteered to chair and preside at several SNP sessions. This gave me the chance to figure out how conference sessions worked, as well as meet new people so the conference felt less lonely.

Later I was asked to be a panelist for some of the workshops, which gave me experience in presenting to a large audience. In my final year of graduate school I ran for a national SNP position where I would have the chance to select topics for the sessions. Being the conference program representative was an invigorating and exhausting experience that helped me to learn invaluable skills in working with a team, meeting deadlines, and thinking outside of the box. Whether you choose to follow a similar path or find one that works just for you, there is a place for you at NCFR.

As the outgoing SNP Program Representative, I have had the chance to work with many amazing students and new professionals who have chosen to invest in NCFR in non-traditional ways. One of the most successful examples from last year’s conference was the introduction of the Gathering Place, a cyber café and lounge where students and new professionals can meet up and hang out. The idea for this area came after talking with several people, including a graduate student named Amanda Williams who wanted a place for SNPs to get together informally during the conference. This met my larger goal of promoting a sense of community among students and new professionals, as well as the suggestions from various faculty members about training future leaders and university affiliates. With the help of NCFR staff like Charlie Cheesebrough, Judy Shultz, and Jason Samuels, we put together all of these suggestions into one great idea: an area that draws students in for informal lunchtime discussions on affiliate and leadership topics, provides food and snacks for starving students, and gives free internet access. The room was a huge success during its inaugural year (2011) and will be a fixture of future conferences. But most importantly, it wouldn’t have hap-pened without people sharing their ideas, even though they didn’t have an official NCFR leadership position.

This same type of investment can be seen throughout the conference program in 2012. The SNP sessions are often created based on feedback from students who came up to me and said “You know what I think would be a great…” and then tell me what they would like to see in future years. Just because you don’t know me (or the incoming representative Ron Cox), doesn’t mean that we don’t want to talk with you about your interests and ideas. We care about your ideas, so send an email or tweet your suggestion to @NCFR_SNP. Whatever your method, keep your great ideas coming!

For other suggestions on how to get more involved, we asked seasoned student and new professional representatives Marissa Stone (Family Science Section), Andrew Behnke (SNP Board Representative), and Alisha Hardman (Education and Enrichment Section) to share their thoughts on making the most of your time at NCFR. Alisha’s article about the proposal submission and review process is also in the winter 2013 issue of NCFR Report magazine. Articles by Andrew and Marissa will appear in the Spring 2013 issue of NCFR Report.