Day one at the Phi Theta Kappa International Convention—Nerd Nation, as we like to call it—is in the books, and was great. Three speakers today, each with a different style and point of view.
Justin Jones-Fosur kicked us off with a rousing presentation abut the importance of diversity and inclusion. He was funny, highly energetic, and had some good thoughts to share—exactly what you want in a speaker.
Then we went into a break out session where the activity was a team egg drop exercise. I am proud to say that my team came in first in our room, winning by a pretty decisive point margin. If you ever need to protect an egg with some craft sticks, masking tape, rubber bands and paper towels, look me up because I can hook you up with the details.
After lunch we heard from Inge Auerbacher, who is a holocaust survivor. It was quite a change from the morning presentation, and her story was heartbreaking, even though it was the story of survival.
Then, finally, this evening, we were graced with Alison Levine, who has climbed the highest peak on every continent. Her story of reaching the summing of Everest (on her second try) was inspiring. I like to listen to amazing people like that tell their amazing stories.
Anyway, as I’ve probably said before, these conventions are just an excuse to try and get folks to drink the Kool Aid, but I have to admit that after these types of days, I start thinking Kool Aod isn’t really such a bad thing.
