My Conference Experience from Start to Finish Kaniah Pearson, SEMC Intern

MY CONFERENCE EXPERIENCE FROM START TO FINISH

KANIAH PEARSON SEMC FALL 2022 INTERN

Love is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the 2022 SEMC Conference in Arkansas. Not only did I love my experience, but I also loved every person I interacted with.

I spent the bulk of the conference meeting all types of museum professionals who held a variety of positions within the field, and I also had the pleasure of spending some time at the registration check-in with Carla Phillips, the Communication and Membership Services Manager, helping to distribute information packets.

This past fall, as the SEMC team was preparing for the annual conference, I had the chance to help Ms. Phillips with the bulk of the conference prep work. Our tasks were varied, from printing name badges and writing schedules to alphabetizing (so much alphabetizing!) letters and envelopes. Ms. Phillips and I spent the weeks leading up to the conference at the Atlanta History Center twice a week, strategizing and configuring the most efficient way to distribute the information packets to make the registration process easy for everyone at the conference.

I also got to witness all the conference preparation from the perspective of both Zinnia Willits, the Executive Director, and Heather Nowak, the Program Administrator. Seeing the behind-the-scenes process

Kaniah Pearson took advantage of the professional headshots offered to attendees at SEMC2022. Thank you to the photographer, Brandon Watts! Photo courtesy of Michael Lachowski

and all the moving parts come to fruition makes this experience much more impactful and memorable.

I am so grateful that I was able to experience and be a part of all the hard work and dedication these lovely women have done. During the conference, I broke off with subgroups and attended sessions that aided in meaningful and interactive conversations. However, my favorite part of my time at the convention center was the breakfast I shared with my Spelman sisters and a small yet growing cohort of distinguished African American museum professionals. They took the time to nurture, care, and bestow knowledge on those of us who are just starting in this fast-paced industry. Words cannot express the amount of comfort and love I felt while eating breakfast on the last day of our trip. I took in so much information and am grateful I got the opportunity to share some of these experiences with you all. Thank you to the SEMC family for helping make this a memorable first conference experience for me, and happy holidays!