Professional Travel Grants for Graduate Students
Posts tagged VSCA
VSCA Conference
5 years
I had the opportunity to attend the Virginia School Counselor Association (VSCA) Conference on October 17th-October 19th in Hampton, Virginia. As a school counselor, it was awesome to learn new ways to support students in achieving their social/emotional, academic, and career goals. I also had the opportunity to learn new activities and techniques to utilize when working with students. One of my favorite sessions was “Calm Down Smack Down” during this session the participants learned how to create calm down stations for students to utilize during the school day. I had the opportunity to create mindfulness bottles and stress balls as part of the “Calm Down Smack Down” session. Lastly, it was nice to network with counselors from the elementary, middle, and high school level. I am looking forward to attending the VSCA conference next year!!!
VSCA Conference 2017
7 years
Hi all! My name is Jessica Morris (in the navy dress!) and last week, I attended the Virginia School Counselor Association conference in Hampton, VA. My school counseling cohort arrived to the Embassy Suites in Hampton on Wednesday night. After we checked in to our hotel rooms, we went downstairs to a meet and greet where we could mingle with other school counseling professionals. We were up bright and early on Thursday morning for continental breakfast and we then headed next door to the conference center. After an exciting keynote speech, we split up and attended breakout sessions about various school counseling topics. That night, there was another meet and greet at our hotel and we were able to connect and talk with some of the people we had met earlier in the day. Friday was our last day. We again attended breakout sessions and a closing keynote speech and luncheon. For my first conference experience, I really enjoyed it! I think my peers and I learned a lot and I look forward to going again in the future!
VSCA Conference 2017
7 years
I enjoyed my experience at the 2017 Virginia School Counseling Association (VSCA) Conference in Hampton Roads. Lead Well was the theme for the 2017 conference. My favorite part of the 2017 conference was the opening session keynote speaker Dan St. Romain, M.Ed. Mixed Messages: The Changing Face of Discipline. The home, school and society has drastically changed within the past few decades resulting in a striking effect on student behaviors. During Dan St. Romain’s collaborative session, participants assessed the dynamics and examined implications for school counselors as a result. The remainder of my day consisted of attending specific breakout sessions focusing on Well-Being Therapy, Supporting Transgender and Gender Non-Conforming Students, Graduate Student- Roundtable, Filling the Gap: Identifying and Developing School Counselor Leaders and The Power of Passion in Career Development. I appreciated the Graduate Student Round Table the most since it focused on the issues and topics related to starting careers in school counseling. That night I attended a Networking Social for School Counselors. Friday involved attending three other breakout sessions and closing out the conference with an awards luncheon and keynote speaker. I am glad that I attended the 2017 VSCA Conference and appreciative of the experiences I took with me.
VSCA 2017
7 years
I was able to attend the Virginia School Counselor Association 2017 conference in Hampton, Virginia from October 11-13 thanks to the College of Graduate and Professional Studies at Longwood University. School counselors from across the state were in attendance. On Wednesday evening my classmates and I dined with Dan St. Romain, the conference’s keynote speaker. After hearing him speak the next morning, I attended many informative breakout sessions. I learned about current trends in the school counseling profession, ways to align a school counseling program with the American School Counselor Association national model, and how to motivate unmotivated students. The next morning there were more informative breakout sessions followed by an awards luncheon. Going to this conference allowed me to gain knowledge from current school counselors in the field.
Virginia School Counselor Association 2017
7 years
Attending the Virginia School Counselor Association Conference helped improve my professional identity. This conference was full of influential speakers who have experience working with students from several districts in Virginia. Having the opportunity to listen to these speakers was both informative and eye-opening. The most impactful speaker was the keynote speaker, who discussed the mixed messages delivered to students and how they effect their actions and behaviors within a school environment. This information will be very beneficial to me and my future as I continue to develop my professional identity. I also had the opportunity to meet school counseling coordinators from districts around Virginia. During this time I was able to discuss current issues and trends that school counselors are encountering in their everyday work. It was great to be surrounded by individuals who spoke the same language as me and understand the impact we have within schools. I look forward to attending more conferences surrounding counseling education!
VSCA
7 years
I had such a wonderful time at the Virginia School Counseling Association (VSCA) Conference in Hampton, Virginia. This was my first time attending VSCA and definitely will not be my last. I attended alongside of five of my School Counseling cohorts (pictured above)! I was able to attend sessions throughout my time at the conference that I hold near and dear to my heart. Dropout Prevention in Elementary and Middle School Students, Technology Smarter Not Harder, and Emerging Leader Lead Counselors were just a few of the breakout sessions I attended. I thoroughly enjoyed networking with other school counselors across the state of Virginia. I was so proud of Longwood’s representation at VSCA this year and was very proud to say I was a Graduate Student from Longwood. This experience is one I will never forget and am so thankful for the opportunity of being able to attend and represent Longwood!
VSCA
7 years
The cohort of students at Longwood who are studying to become school counselors is relatively small, with our smallest class containing only 6 students. We all have a shared passion and spend much of our time together discussing topics related to school counseling. Being used to such a small group of people, it was exhilarating to walk into the Virginia School Counselor Association conference and see hundreds of school counselors who were all speaking our language! From small group action plans, to advocacy, to implementing the ASCA national model- it was clear that we had come to the right place. I had the opportunity to view 8 different presentations over the course of the conference, each one offering helpful information for school counselors to know. My favorite presentation was about technology tools and how school counselors can use technology to work smarter, not harder. Through this presentation, I was introduced to several apps, websites, and ideas that I could easily see myself implementing as a school counselor. Another benefit of attending this conference was meeting experienced school counselors. I enjoyed learning the different ways that school counselors work to help their students, schools, and communities. It was inspiring to be surrounded by so many professionals who share my passion and love the career that they have chosen, and I hope to attend more VSCA conferences in the future.
Virginia School Counselors Conference
7 years
On October 12th I had the opportunity to present alongside Dana Kieran, Associate Director for Disability Resources and Dr. Lauren Wynn Assistant Professor for Counselor Education at the Virginia School Counselor’s Conference. It was a great experience to present as it was a goal of mine prior to graduating from my program.
Our presentation focused on how school counselors and disability service providers can collaborate to assist students with their transition to the post secondary environment. For our presentation we started out with an activity that helped individuals think of barriers to the postsecondary environment that might exist for students with disabilities. We then began to talk about the challenges that students face in their new academic environment along with the changes to various relationships that they might have had previously.
The main portion of our presentation that really created conversation amongst the counseling professionals in the room was an explanation of the differences between the secondary and postsecondary environments when accommodating students with disabilities. And then we ended with a conversation about what it means for students to be college ready. This presentation proved to be a great learning experience for me and my colleagues. I believe that we began a very substantive conversation about how we can better prepare students for a postsecondary transition. Also professionally it was great to network with various folks in the field. I was able to receive a few invitations to do some follow-up presentations for various school systems and non-profit groups.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to use what I have been learning in the classroom and combine it with the work that I’m currently doing in my role with Disability Resources. Thanks Graduate Studies for the opportunity.
Virginia School Counseling Association Conference
8 years
I had such a wonderful experience at the Virginia School Counseling Association (VSCA) Conference! The theme this year was “Creating Connections”, and I definitely made some amazing connections thanks to my amazing professor, Dr. Wynne (pictured here taking a selfie with me!). She introduced me to everyone it seemed like! I was so grateful to have her there as a guide and resource. I began the conference with a pre-conference session on working with LGBTQ+ youth by Charles Dyson. It was extremely interesting, and I learned new information, such as the prevalence of an individual being born intersex is the same as those being born with red hair. I was able to meet several school counselors and administrators at the President’s reception that night. The next day was full of many sessions ranging from classroom management to yoga guidance classroom lessons. The last day we had a lunch with keynote speaker Gayle Danley. She is a slam poet, and her poems left everyone speechless. She was so powerful with her words. This experience is one I will never forget. I am so thankful that I was able to attend, and hope to in the years to come.