This blog post represents a day in the life as a Student-Volunteer at the American Counseling Association (ACA) Conference from Katherine Fraze, a graduate student in the Counseling Program with a concentration in Clinical Mental Health.
5:30 a.m.
Wake up in your Airbnb. Coffee: hot, black. Yoga: slow, sleepy. Breakfast: protein-heavy, filling.
Get “conference ready.” Spend an hour blowing out your hair. Wear a nice dress and heels you hope you can walk all day in.
7:00 a.m.
Enter the conference center out of breath from your fast walk there. Wander around trying to find the Student Volunteer Check-In Room. Get so lost that an employee offers you help unprompted. Once you find the correct room, put on a hideous, shapeless polyester vest over the outfit you were proud to wear.
7:25 a.m.
Stand outside a conference room and scan people inside. Mess up only a few times. Make polite small talk; compliment people’s outfits, chat about the weather, joke about how early it is.
8:05 a.m.
Figure everyone that is going to show up has. Try your best to quietly open creaky doors and sneak into the event. Pick an unassuming seat, take out your mini notebook and conference pen, and think about how you got to see a $50 speaking event for free.
10:30 a.m.
Sneak back out of the conference room to use the bathroom and eat a protein bar in the hallway. (Wonder, is the presenter hungry too?) Check the speaker’s social media in the hallway. Realize she lives in D.C., and this could actually be a good professional connection. Come back inside and sit a few seats closer.
11:00 a.m.
Approach the presenter. Thank her, and chat about Northern Virginia.
11:15 a.m.
Order a much-needed large, iced coffee. Black. Imagine the caffeine entering your brain and blood as you try not to take your first few gulps so obnoxiously.
11:20 a.m.
Pay $15 for a small, pre-packaged Greek Salad. Find a quiet corner and scroll on your phone for the first time all day. Think about how much social media is a real addiction and how much you need your fix. Try not to be annoyed by the loud man taking a FaceTime call without headphones.
11:40 a.m.
Get up, leaving plenty of time to find the next presentation you’re attending. Try not to get lost. Again. (Wonder, do all convention centers look like big gray boxes?)
Noon
Presentation #2. Make small talk with a girl who has glasses nearly identical to yours. Ask the speakers questions. Chat with another attendee about Substack.
1:30 p.m.
Sneak out for another hallway snack break. Reflect on what a good idea it was to include protein snacks in your DoorDashed groceries.
3:00 p.m.
Thank the presenters. Talk about higher education, George Mason University, and learn that one of the presenters will be starting a Counseling PhD Program in Louisiana. Compare different types of southern accents.
3:05 p.m.
Think about how tired you are, and how much you’d love to take a nap. Try not to think about your heavy eyes, slight headache, or sore feet. Then, remember how much attending this cost you. Ask another attendee if they want to get coffee instead.
3:15 p.m.
Walk to a nearby coffee shop. Practice harm reduction on your caffeine addiction and order a matcha instead of another iced coffee. Appreciate that at least an Almond Milk Strawberry Matcha Latte is pretty, even if it’s not the caffeine-bomb you’d prefer. Chat with your fellow ACA attendee about being a student counselor, internships, and graduate school.
4:00 p.m.
Walk back to the conference center. Remind yourself you like your outfit, including your heels. Remind yourself that you are not someone who would wear sneakers to an academic conference. Enter the Expo area. Try not to take too much notice of how hot and humid the room is. (Wonder, will my blow-out last?) Take a deep breath and prepare to socialize more.
4:10 p.m.
Introduce yourself to the people at the SAIGE Booth. Discuss conferences, research, PhD programs, Caitlyn Jenner, and RuPaul’s Drag Race. (Have no idea that when you call the man at the booth a villain for his taste in Drag Queens, that you are talking to the SAIGE President.)
4:30 p.m.
Introduce yourself to the people at the AASECT Booth. Talk about Sex Therapy, the Target Boycott, and jewelry.
5:00 p.m.
Leave the convention center. Practice gratitude for fresh air. Walk back to your Airbnb. Eat a microwave dinner you had DoorDashed to you. Tell yourself that in the future, you’ll be able to afford a nice dinner out.
5:30 p.m.
Join class on Zoom. You are a Student-Volunteer, after all.
7:00 p.m.
Close Zoom. Figure it’s a beautiful day out, and that you should explore the new city you’re in. Leave your Airbnb and walk aimlessly around downtown Columbus. Be pleasantly surprised by how many Pride Flags are hanging in the residential part of town. Take pictures of flowers. Listen to Taylor Swift. (Wonder, were my preconceived notions of Columbus rooted in any sort of prejudice?)
8:00 p.m.
Notice the sun is setting. Think about how early you have to get up again tomorrow. Walk back to the Airbnb and eat more of your DoorDashed groceries. Shower, get ready for bed, and finally pass out.