Christina Tillis - Organizaing a Conference or Workshop (Gold - 9 points)

    During the summer and the beginning of this semester, I organized speaker panels, opening sessions, and transitions for the 12th Annual Historically Black College and University Pre-Law Summit. As the Team Lead for the Emcees and Panel discussions, I oversaw the organizational parameters of an ongoing conference while ensuring attendees absorbed the essential information presented by Law School Deans, Admissions representatives, and HBCU alumni attorneys. 

One strength of the experience was that the sessions were all held in one room. Thus, volunteers had clear instructions when moving speakers to their locations. However, an area of weakness for this experience was that panelists were not stationed sporadically, so volunteers had difficulty locating panelists for the nest session. In the future, a designated volunteer should lead specific panel sessions, so they know the identity of their panelist and locate their panelists at any time. In doing so, volunteers can move all panelists to their next session efficiently. 

This event is connected to my increasing knowledge of organizing large events because I can now identify the roles volunteers need to assume to create a smooth experience for attendees. Not only should volunteers be aware of the roles, but there must be a central document or protocol that all volunteers can reference to know the run-of-show and account for changes.  

This activity influenced my goals of becoming a corporate attorney by knowing the importance of presentation and project management. An attorney's job description is based on project or case-based activities. Thus, knowing how to present to an audience translates to presenting clients and ensuring all the moving parts that contribute to a settlement or contract are accounted for and executed. I plan to build on this experience by utilizing my connections with the panelists to shadow and intern under them. This experience was influential in my professional development and ascent to career success. 

 

By Christina Tillis