A quick insight and
recap to the Student Chair Elect Seminar (SCES) at PGA National in West Palm
Beach, FL
For
those who have not yet had the opportunity to attend the SCES, here is a bit of
background from my experience. This student leadership seminar is held
simultaneously with the CES (Chair Elect Seminar); the equivalent to the SCES
for local section chairs, other SNAME committee chairs and SNAME leaders. During
the three day program students are engaged in the following; panel discussions with fellow
students, insightful presentations, social events with industry professionals,
and the occasional late night water volleyball match; all with the goal of
training student section leaders on how to better guide their sections to
ultimate success. Time is spent on topics such as; membership acquisition and
retention challenges, student membership benefits, post graduation
opportunities, section structure and operations, methods for making the most of
membership, and many more.
I
would like to personally thank everyone for his or her involvement. For
those of you who attended don't forget that no comment, question, or suggestion
goes unheard. Remember the impact
that you all can have on not only your student section, but also every one of
SNAME’s roughly 8500 members; and even further so, the entire industry. You and your fellow student members are
the future of the industry that we all chose out of a passion for Naval
Architecture, Marine Engineering, or Ocean Engineering. I encourage you all to remember my
cardinal rule; that no interest in involvement should go unnoticed. This may seem obvious to most, but means that even if someone simply hints at further interest, engage them instantly, not later. Give them something to do, no matter
how trivial, I promise that they will take something away from it. Never forget that you represent your
students and you need to make sure that they understand the meaning of the
student memberships we hold.
It
was an absolute pleasure to meet every one of you, and I look forward to
working with you all. I hope that
you all know not to hesitate to contact me for advice, guidance, or a simple
chat.