Shank shares perspective on attending SACAC professional conference

Below is a student perspective from Lexi Shank, a student in our counselor education program, who attended the 2026 Southern Association for College Admission Counseling (SACAC) conference:

In my first semester of the Counselor Ed program, one of my professors, Dr. Moran, encouraged students to submit a session proposal for a professional conference. In Fall 2024, I asked my supervisor and two college counselors at a local private school in our area to co-present at the annual SACAC conference. I did not expect that we would be selected, but we were! In March 2025, we shared with our fellow colleagues about the power of collaboration in our roles in public and private secondary schools. Despite the differences in our schools, we found that we were experiencing similar hurdles in the college admissions process. We shared some of our approaches to college counseling while encouraging attendees to engage in discussion around best practices and anticipated roadblocks.

The following year I felt more confident submitting another proposal for the 2026 SACAC conference. My supervisor and I collaborated with an independent education consultant and college admissions officer to discuss approaches to student-centered college list building titled “Fit over Fame: Strategies for Student-Centered Lists.” Our session proposal was selected and approved for National Board-Certified Credit for continuing education. During the session, we discussed approaches to working with students and families to evaluate colleges for “Best Fit” and provided resources for attendees to use in their professional settings. 

In addition to presenting at SACAC, I had the pleasure of presenting alongside Dr. Loni Crumb and Brittany Daniels at the ECU Student Success Conference in January 2026. We presented the concept of academic buoyancy and perceptions of success impacting student services in higher education. This presentation proposal came from an assignment for Administration and Management of Student Affairs with Dr. Crumb. This experience doubled as one of my first on-campus events that helped me feel connected to the ECU community as a distance education graduate student. 

Before enrolling in the Counselor Education program, I would not have been confident enough to submit presentation proposals for professional conferences. The support that I have received from all of my professors has encouraged me to challenge myself and push beyond my comfort zone. The conferences I have attended have helped me to share with others and grow my skillsets. However, it has not compared to the impact learning from others, including my classmates and professors, has had on me. I am grateful for the many positive experiences I have had because I chose to pursue a master’s degree at ECU. I plan to continue to seek opportunities to connect with other professionals and to continue to refresh my knowledge on best practices in the field. I believe it is not enough to routinely do what has always been done, and my goal is to keep refining my approach to best serve all students.