As summer winds down and your STC chapter begins to make preparations for another successful season, we thought we’d share a bit about our STC Summit 2023 experience to inspire your programming goals or cement your professional development plans for 2024. Please enjoy a reflection of our trip to Atlanta for STC Summit!
Arriving in Atlanta
The STC held their seventieth Summit from May 13 through 17 at the Hyatt Regency in Atlanta, Georgia. Kylie Jacobsen and Kelly Smith attended on behalf of the MGL chapter.
If you’ve never been to Atlanta, the city earns the title Hotlanta! At one point the humidity was 81%! Rain and thunderstorms cooled things down a little later in the week. The food was spectacular, even at the breakfast and lunch buffets and always featured little touches of southern delicacies.
New this Year
This year’s event featured a new buddy system where first-time attendees were paired up with experienced Summit-goers. Kelly signed up to be a buddy and really enjoyed the experience.
“I got to introduce my newbie to others in the Society, give her pointers, answer questions, and help her feel more comfortable. We shared several meals together, and she always had a familiar face to look for in a crowd if she had a question. I look forward to doing this again next year!”
Kelly Smith, STC Senior Member and Gold member
Kylie coordinated the group of student volunteers who helped manage some of the daily tasks of the conference. Eighteen university students signed up to volunteer to staff the registration desk, monitor the rooms during sessions, and help distribute awards at the award ceremony. Students represented schools from New Mexico, Florida, Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, and Georgia.
“Summit really can’t operate as smoothly without our student volunteers!”
Kylie Jacobsen, STC Summit Student Volunteer Coordinator
Both the first-time attendees and student volunteers had the opportunity to meet each other and tour the conference space on Sunday evening, before the majority of attendees arrived.
Chapter honors
A society-favorite, the annual Honors Celebration, occurred over lunch on Tuesday, May 16. The Michigan Great Lakes chapter was awarded the Platinum Community award for providing our “members rich opportunities to shape technical communication, both within and beyond Michigan Great Lakes Chapter.”
In addition, our immediate past president, Katherine Baeckeroot, was awarded the Distinguished Community Service award for her “exceptional leadership as STC Michigan Great Lakes chapter president, innovative programming and inexhaustible enthusiasm for providing additional value to the membership, and for your wisdom, experience, and sound advice.”
