Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1454922
68 I-CONNECT007 I REAL TIME WITH... IPC APEX EXPO 2022 SHOW & TELL MAGAZINE and was asked to be a nominee for this posi- tion. I then uploaded a video onto the Educa- tion Foundation page and was voted in. Matties: Fantastic. Congratulations. Nelson: ank you. Matties: is is your first IPC APEX EXPO? Nelson: Yes. Matties: I'm curious what your impression, your initial reaction, and your takeaways are from this show? Nelson: I think it's such an incredible honor. It is a lot different than I thought it was going to be. It is amazing how you can network with such a diverse range of individuals, talking to all these prestigious individuals, and realizing that they're people too. Matties: Paige, you're part of the Emerging Engineer Program from the IPC. I think you're a couple of years into that. Fiet: is is my second year in the Emerging Engineer Program. Mike Carano is my mentor. Matties: Tell me about the program and how that's impacted and helped you. Fiet: I joined the Emerging Engineer Program in 2021. Unfortunately, APEX EXPO was virtual that year, but I still attended. We have a passport that we fill out while at APEX EXPO. It has a list of activities and meetings as well as ways to grow both professionally and technically. Our mentors help advise that. ey help us meet people. I've really enjoyed the program so far. Matties: And Hannah, I think you're in a similar three-year program? Tell me a little bit about that. Nelson: My mentor is Jason Keeping. I also have to go through the same passport where we get technical and professional advice. Matties: Is it very helpful? Nelson: It is. I definitely believe I've changed as an individual being here so far. Matties: Fantastic. ose are big words. Nelson: Yes. My confidence has gone up expo- nentially. Matties: Good for you. What advice would you give a young student today? Nelson: Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Make as many connections as you can, and work hard to get to where you want to be. My advice for what I was doing at school is to take every opportunity you can. If you're given a position, go aer it and if you fail, failure is so good for growth. Matties: It's where we build success. Nelson: Yes. Matties: All right. Paige, what sort of advice would you give? Fiet: I think Hannah said it perfectly. Network- ing is so important, not just to network in your industry, but outside and meet people who do different jobs and especially find people who do the type of job you want so they can help you grow. Matties: Well, I certainly appreciate you both being in this industry. It's fantastic. Welcome to APEX EXPO and welcome back. We've been at APEX EXPO ever since it started. We've been working in this industry for nearly 40 years, so it was sad to miss during that two-