Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1098973
38 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2019 Nolan: Shane, you've just attended this confer- ence and learned some skills. Now, you have three-and-a-half years in front of you at school to apply this. What's the first thing you're going to apply? Shane: I'll probably explore what New Mexico Tech has to offer regarding classes, labs, and research projects. I want to see what technical experiences professors might have to offer. Nolan: So, attending Rising Stars helped you understand how to get a more crystallized view of what to do as you pursue your degree. Shane: Yes. Steven and Shane both reported that they plan to attend the conference again. These two brought some interesting perspectives because it showed that young attendees don't need to be a senior or above to find value in educa- tional programs and conferences. In addition, Steven's concentration on soft skills, such as leadership, was just another example that learning professional soft skills was a common theme. As afternoon turned to evening, I was able to continue the discussion one-on-one with Joe Sandoval from the original interview group. Joe was attending Rising Stars for the first time as a Cal Poly student. The program was slowing down as the dinner buffet was being set up, which allowed us to complete our conversation more thoughtfully. It's no surprise that soft skills popped up as a topic of conver- sation here too. Nolan: What were you looking to take away from this conference? Joe: At my student branch, what we often have a hard time conveying to our members is the benefit of being a member of a large organization like IEEE. So, I was looking to get an idea of exactly what being a member of the national branch had to offer. And, boy, did I find it! Nolan: Fantastic. What are some of the things that will leave you better prepared or more knowledgeable than you were before? Joe: For one, something that we've always told our members but I've never really had experi- ence with is the kind and number of connec- tions you can make here. For example, I talked with Iris Bombelyn from Golden Seeds. Not only is she working with one of the startups at Cal Poly, but she also has a valuable breadth of experience she has gathered from working Iris Bombelyn, conference speaker and mentor, consults with a student attendee during one of the many workshops throughout the weekend. Steven Lukow and Shane Heau.