TAPPI Student Summit 2021 – Virtually Spectacular
Over winter break, Dr. Byrd reached out to my freshman cohort of students in the paper program. He told us about two conferences within the industry, one of which we must attend. Originally, this email made me feel so professional! I know saying that makes me not so professional, but this was a moment of realizing that I truly was in the next phase of my life. I grew up watching my dad travel to conferences and during quarantine, he would be joining conference calls while I joined my zoom classes. It was really my turn and that was exciting, and also kind of nerve wrecking. I would be exposed to so many companies that I had never heard of, which is exactly what I needed, to find an opportunity to gain experience in this industry. The weekend of the Student Summit, February 6th and 7th, would be my first time meeting dozens of people in leadership roles in the industry that I am excited to be joining.
My Future is bright in PSE
Little did I know that two days of zoom would create so much excitement about my future. I joined the PSE program at NC State with limited knowledge of the industry. The faculty drew me in with their descriptions of the fight to make our world more sustainable. I am amazed at how cyclical the industry really is, and the little community within a big school was exactly what I had been searching for. This community here at NC State has shown me, in just one semester, that I will always have people fighting to get me everything I need to be not only be successful, but truly find happiness The TAPPI Student Summit gave me an overwhelming feeling of support from people I was just virtually meeting or who I had not actually meet. I realize now, the full extent, of what people meant when they said, “this is an industry that wants the best for everyone”. I expected industry professionals to fight for their companies and be in constant comparison, instead, I experienced so many professionals that I just met and continuously told me they wanted the best for my future.
Breakout Sessions and So Much More
I attended breakout sessions each day that were moderated by different professional from all different companies. I attended a Women in Industry session, where we had a roundtable discussion about what my future will look like as a woman in a paper mill. We had an open discussion about what the industry is doing to incorporate the wellbeing and equality of women, and to get women in leadership roles. This discussion was moderated by two women from different companies, but both willingly shared their contact information if more questions about the industry arose. Coincidentally, the next session I attended was 9 males and me. However, I didn’t come to that realization until five minutes into the discussion, because it was just a group of people looking for a deeper understanding of the resources TAPPI supplies as well as the paper industry as a whole. The three professionals in this breakout session answered questions I had about their current jobs and companies. They are all in roles where they travel to different mills to supply the chemicals being used in the mills. They talked about how willing most companies are to make sure you are truly satisfied in your position. I attended a session about how to make my LinkedIn profile more eye-catching and in this session other students willingly let us use their pages as examples. Many zooms these days are pretty one-sided, however, students and professionals alike jumped into this discussion. I received first hand tips from HR representatives of paper companies on how to interview well. This was truly helpful, as it was a no pressure situation where I really could just ask the person who has interviewed me, or could be interviewing me in the future, what I can do to make myself stand out.
Paper Industry is about the Product and the People
This industry wants to build students into the best professionals the industry has seen. Current professionals really want the next generation to be better than they are. This industry is all about the betterment of one another and of the product we create. The student summit demonstrated to me that this industry is “all in this together,” as the cast of High School Musical sing. As a senior in high school, I was told that this would be a family-like community. I did not understand the true meaning of that until I attended the Summit. I gained insight into the industry and a peek into the millions of paths I have to choose from once I graduate.
Count down to Student Summit 2022
The summit was truly an eye opening experience. Here I was, taking my normally zoom-free Saturday and Sunday to sit on zoom, however, I am truly glad that I did. Even more amazing is that these professionals who have two days a week to spend with their families willingly chose to sit on zoom solely for the betterment of students. I am beyond excited to continue this journey of discovering this industry, and I can not wait for next year’s Student Summit. This was a weekend that I really will remember, and those can be hard to come by in today’s world. The TAPPI Student Summit was truly a weekend of growth for me as a student morphing into a professional, and I hope you all (I’m originally a northerner- I haven’t caught on to using y’all quite yet!) can join me for this experience next year!
By guest blogger Bryanna Lawry