By Dominic Zullo, March 2nd 2024
Well, NACA 2024 has officially come and gone, and I can definitely say that I already can’t wait for NACA 2025! From meeting the wonderful people of colleges in 10+ different states, to all the amazing showcases and workshops and learning things about myself I never knew before, it was an experience to remember and I loved every second of it!
Looking back, the neurodiversity workshop was probably my favorite out of the six that I did. I spoke with about twenty other people about resources for students with disabilities on their campuses, and it turned out that a large amount of those students had next to nothing on their campus when it came to resources for students with disabilities. In response, I spoke about some of the resources we have at BSU and how we can expand on those things for other college campuses across the nation, too. I also did a few workshops revolving around inclusion, mental health, and creating a sense of belonging for students of various different cultures, ethnicities, disabilities and learning styles, especially in a timeline where resources for these students are what we need the most. During the leadership workshop I did, I learned all the skills that I would say are right on time for my SOC and group leader applications this upcoming summer and fall! Doing these workshops have made me more passionate about being an ally to students with disabilities than ever, and just people on my campus in general. I can’t wait to put the pedal to the metal and showcase everything I’ve learned from NACA to everybody at CSE, SAS and all across campus.
Getting to explore the city of Pittsburgh was amazing, too. I got to try a variety of different cuisines, with everything from Italian to Southern to Thai and Mexican and beyond, and also some regional delicacies like perogies (which were SO GOOD!!!!) and hoagies as well. The showcases were amazing too, I got to meet everyone from Steven Glickman from Big Time Rush, to Ryan Kelly, a comedian who stated that he would love to have me open for him! Every single performer had a motivational message in their performance, which I loved, and there were many people up on that big stage who I aspire to be like someday (hopefully)!
I learned a lot from this experience, but the biggest takeaway I got out of NACA was (especially as someone with a learning disability,) if you doubt yourself or feel you’re not worthy of something, don’t let your doubts define you. You are capable of leading, you can achieve what you put your mind to, you are capable of doing amazing things and going amazing places that you may never have expected in life, and your adventures await you at CSE and at NACA. Words can’t describe how incredibly blessed and grateful I am to have had this opportunity and that I got to spend it with the nine best people I could’ve attended with on this trip. Even though I was close to my BSU crew before this trip, NACA only made us closer. Watch out, BSU…Dom’s gonna be showing you some skills soon!!!!
Hey wassup yall. This is Tyler Shawn Petitti.
It is now 4 days after the end of NACA and I am a different man. NACA was a great opportunity and was key in learning from and engaging with so many schools. I found a new sense of pride for Bridgwater State. Talking to so many other schools, we have the same creativity, skills, and passion for creating events on campus, they just have more resources and a certain motivation that NACA has sparked and provided us with. Going back, we have already planned and done some amazing things and we are just getting started.
There is a campaign for success here at Program Council and our standard is higher than ever. Years from now, students will see the effects of this NACA trip. I wont let this get lost in the translation between years. I am forwarding all the useful information to as many members as I can. As well as notifying the general public that they should expect great things from us Post-NACA. I am beyond proud of us as an organization for our efforts at NACA, our presence could not be ignored as we shared knowledge and conversations with many schools, performers, and vendors.
I know we are heading in a great direction after our NACA trip and the impact it had on us will ripple throughout the school and community. Ight. Peace. Go Bears !!!
2/26/24
Welcome back to the final day of NACA Live 2024 and our final blog post of the trip!! Maybe the saddest part of the day was having the amazing breakfast only one final time. I’m still thinking about how good it was.
We kicked off the day bright and early with our first ED Block of the day. The session I attended was called “All in Favor, Say Aye: Creating an Inclusive Organization”. This session was mostly focused on addressing the challenges that many organizations have regarding creating inclusive spaces and ways to solve conflicts within organizations. A lot of the content I had heard or learned prior, but it was still informative.
We then attended the first showcase of the day. There were a lot of magicians and illusion performers at this showcase. It did get kind of repetitive at times, which was a bummer, but the MC was really funny and I really enjoyed the drag performers that were there. The Disney theme was really fun, especially seeing what interpretations of Disney characters they came up with.
Now, it’s time for lunch. We did take a longer time meandering around Pittsburgh than we thought we were going to for lunch, but that’s because the first two or three places we had decided on had their individual issues and we couldn’t figure out a solution. We ended on Subway, which is certainly at least something. We did still manage to have a little break before our final ED Block. Because of that, now I’m ahead of the game, starting this blog post after our lunch break. Ok, lunchtime Zach signing off. I’ll return to finish this once the day is over!
It was time for our final ED Block sessions of NACA Live. My final session was titled “Maximizing the Campus Activity Experience with Digital Engagement”. Without going into details or being too negative, I don’t feel as though I learned anything from that session, which was disappointing. I got a few notes from that session, but otherwise, it just wasn’t things that were necessarily applicable or useful for me. After that ED Block, we went to another showcase, which was another mix of music, comedy, and miscellaneous performers. Sadly, I didn’t connect very well with these performances. A lot of the material from the past few days kept getting repeated or reused, so that didn’t help to keep my attention. I also had a very negative reaction to one specific performance, which left me feeling slightly upset, but all is well now and it’s in the past.
We did get to go to our final few hours at the NACA Marketplace. It was really bittersweet because I had really loved walking around the marketplace and to really connect with so many unique and different people. One highlight is that I got to meet THE Mrs. Kasha Davis from RuPaul’s Drag Race. She is so iconic and kind and it was incredible to get the chance to meet her. The rest of the marketplace was just a great time to reflect on the previous few days and I feel really happy with the things that I got from the weekend.
The rest of the evening was dinner, where I got to have really good and helpful conversations about career advice and figuring out what my next steps are in life. This weekend has been so much fun and makes me seriously consider taking some sort of career path in higher education. The conversations definitely helped me feel more relaxed while I was feeling quite overwhelmed. We returned to the convention center for our final showcase, the Aux Cord Wars. This was such a creative and unique concept. It’s got the essence of a concert, but there’s audience participation and people getting to show off their personal music tastes. That’s right up my alley. Am I bummed that I wasn’t chosen to go up on stage? Yes. Do I also think that I would’ve gotten an obscure category I had never heard of if I was chosen? Yes. So maybe it was just best to be on the sidelines. We wrapped up the night with a little after party with some fun mocktails. The cosmopolitan one I had was so good, and then the orange one I had was… interesting. It tasted like when you’re eating an orange popsicle and you finish it and you’re licking the popsicle. So, whatever that means.
The final part of our journey was the return to Bridgewater. Let me start off by saying that I am NOT a morning person. So having to wake up at 2AM after only two hours of sleep was not ideal. I did sleep on the plane for about ten minutes with my head slumped over my lap, though I remember none of that. It is nice to be back in Bridgewater though.
In the days since, I’ve reflected on my trip as a whole and feel so incredibly grateful to have had this opportunity. I’ve used my new NACA water bottle so much, I’ve already referenced all my notes to help create better ideas for our campus, and even the NACA Instagram account commented on my Instagram post about NACA! This experience has given me so much joy, knowledge, and passion to keep doing what I’m doing. I love being a campus leader and I feel honored to have a hand in creating the culture of our campus. With love and inspiration, I’ve been your host, thank you all, and go bears!
SOC Zach 🙂
It is crazy to believe that we have come to the conclusion of our trip already. I’m not sure how you all are feeling, but I feel as though these last few days FLEW by! Our last day was packed with more fun and educational blocks. We started our morning in our fifth ed block, to which I had chosen to go to Beyond Your Position: Crafting Your Student Leadership Narrative. This was a very interesting session because we were all able to think of ourselves within our position on a deeper level, and by using a worksheet to follow along, we were able to identify our values and the tangible impact we have had within our campus communities. This session was very interactive, and allowed for a lot of pair and share ideas, which brought in different insight from other perspectives.
Our next portion of the day consisted of another showcase. These acts were funny, touching, and a few were emotionally distressing. I found myself disassociated here, especially during the portions that were on the heavier side, but regardless acknowledge the talent that was presented at this time.
When it came time for lunch, we were not as able to land on one solid idea. We eventually made our way over to a Subway, and a foot long cured my hanger… and thank goodness, because hangry me is never a delight!
Lunch immediately transitioned into our final education block. I participated in an affinity chat with other Fraternity and Sorority Life members! There were well over thirty of us, and it was so interesting getting to hear the names of different chapters that I didn’t know existed (like SIGMA SIGMA SIGMA? WHAT!). During this conversation, we were able to pose questions to one another and receive feedback from other chapter members on what works (and doesn’t) for them!
Finally for the day, we had our last marketplace. Zach and I were able to walk around and wrap up any conversations and networking that we were hoping to! We chatted it up with a stand up comedian that gave me a slap on bracelet labeled “hot mess express” and tell me… who told him about my secrets?!? Anyways… it was a really great conversation, and he had been to Bridgewater before so MANIFESTING that he comes back!!!
The remainder of the evening was filled with good eats, great songs during Aux Cord Wars, and many goodbyes. It is safe to say that this was easily one of the most amazing experiences I have been a part of. The people, the atmosphere, and the resources available were all immaculate! I genuinely am so excited to go back to campus with a new understanding of myself as a student leader, and a whole new wealth of knowledge about how to organize and plan campus wide events and opportunities for our new to BSU students.
To conclude my final blog post *big sad*, here is my list of NACA Live Ins and Outs:
Ins:
- Networking
- Good friends
- GREAT food (particularly Italian hoagies!)
- Inclusion
- Caffiene
- GUSTAVO ROCK!
- Fill it Forward water bottles
- Big headphones
Outs:
- “I look like a youth pastor” jokes
- 3am wake up calls
- Cash only restaurants
NACA Live 2024, you were good to me! Thank you for all of the joy, knowledge, and opportunity you gave to the BSU Bears!
Peace and love,
Becca
Hey everybody, it’s Travis and I am back with my recap of the final day of the NACA Live 2024 convention. Today started off like any other, with the only difference being my first ed block was before the 1st showcase. The first ed block, steps for inclusive events, talked about a bunch of things there we already do, but I did learn how we can take those things to the next level. Implementing these techniques would not only help Program Council, but it would also help a bunch of other organizations and BSU. If I told you that the first showcase was mind blowing would be true, but it would also be an understatement. The magicians were impressive, but if you know me, then you would know that my favorite part was the drag show. If PC is ever looking to branch out when looking for drag Queens, then you can look no further than Once Upon a drag queen. After that, we went to subway for lunch, and I will say but I did like it, but I do think it could have been a little bit better. I say this because I was going to get a bacon, ham, and cheese sandwich, a six-inch cookie, a six-inch pretzel, and a drink. I was only able to get the sandwich and the drink because there were no cookies or pretzels already made when we got there. The chef did ask if I could wait for him to make them, but I did not want to be the guy that made everybody wait. After lunch, I had my final ed block, maximizing your small budget, and once again, I was provided with valuable information. Even though Program Council does not have a small budget, we can still use these techniques to put together low-cost events so we can put more money into bigger events. After that, I went to the final showcase which was a mix of all the different types of acts we’ve seen for each of the showcases. My favorite part was the beginning because it was Taylor Swift karaoke mix with the world’s largest game of keepy-uppy. During my last time at the marketplace, I was finally able to make it to the top of the Rockwall, but climbing was still a challenge. The marketplace is definitely one of my favorite parts of the conference and I cannot wait to see what they have to offer next year. Then, we all win to dinner, which was interesting because it was my first time ever trying Thai food and it was not Awful, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to try it again. Since I’m not a sauce or spice person, I just ordered the plane fried rice with chicken. The last the showcase was pretty different because it was only one act, the aux cord wars. It was fun, but the only downside for me is that it was one of the louder showcases. Luckily, a woman outside was kind enough to offer me some ear plugs which did help. All in all, NACA was one of my favorite experiences for Program Council, and I’m hoping that I get to do it next year.
(And I want to do the rocky thing on the rocky steps.)
Hey wassup folks, Tyler here. Day 3 was awesome. The day went by much faster than the other ones. What set today differently than the previous days were the showcases. The performers they had were funny, entertaining, inspirational, they were all truly quality speakers. Plus Gustavo was a great singer.
My ed blocks taught me some valuable information regarding resources for first gen students as well as incorporating a passion or core value of our school into each program.
The marketplace was more engaging as we had gotten to see a lot of the performers perform through the showcases at this point. We were now talking to some of the same booths as yesterday and building that relationship.
Finally we had a North-Eastern Italian dinner with many other students and networked. It was fun talking to the kids just as mutuals and not so professionally. Donovan thought it would be funny to get all 50 students in the room to sing Happy Birthday to me, despite my birthday being 6 months away. It wasn’t the words of Happy Birthday tho, it was actually Meat-Ball Pas-Ta chanted over and over to the tune of Happy Birthday. Buca de Beppa.
By Dominic Zullo, 2/26/24
From comedians to meeting Gustavo from Big Time Rush to getting to meet people from e-boards in my home state of Massachusetts, Day 3 of NACA was another one to remember! My neurodiversity workshop was my favorite workshop so far and I don’t think it’ll be topped. I heard a lot from students from other schools about the lack of disability resources on their college campus, which honestly broke my heart a little bit. However, the fact that students at college campuses across America are still working to improve matters for students with disabilities on their campus speaks amazing volume for anyone who is struggling with a disability and wants to find success on campus. I also saw a variety of different comedians at the Showcase, one of which was an advocate for people with physical disabilities which I loved! I also loved the comedian from Zimbabwe, I could not stop laughing during his segment about tacos and West Virginia! My favorite, however, was Ryan Kelly, a comedian who offered for me to open up for one of his sets! I would love to have him at BSU!!!!
Dinnertime was also a success, although the food was a little cold it still tasted good. Getting to meet people from various different e-Boards, including those of UMASS Lowell and SHU, was pretty nice and I definitely made some new friends. I did realize, however, that I started to miss my other friends friends and especially my girlfriend and family back home, and I can’t wait to give them all giant hugs when I get back. Lastly, this whole trip has had me reflecting on how this experience has changed my life for the better. If it wasn’t for Andrew, Maia, and the fabulous six students I shared this adventure with….I wouldn’t have learned about neurodiversity. Or leadership. Or how to do stand up, how to stand out in a crowd, how to promote positive and inclusive vibes, and most of all I wouldn’t have been able to learn from the best. I’m so incredibly proud of myself and everyone else who took up NACA this year. I already can’t wait for Providence this upcoming fall.
Hey y’all, it’s me Travis and I’m back with another recap of NACA Live 2024, day three to be precise. My first ed block today, How to Lead Leaders, was pretty good, but the presentation was a little faster than my previous ed blocks. Nonetheless, I still learned some valuable information and I think it could do great things for not only our organization, but for other organizations at my school. The second block I took today, Roundtable – Reimagining Traditional Events, was a little different because there was no presentation, and it was more discussion based. Not only did I learn some new ideas for our events, but I also learned that a lot of other schools do some of the same things we do. I was also glad that I was able to make some more connections with other convention goers through the NACA app. We tried a new pizza place for lunch, and it was some of the best food I had had on this trip; I give it a 10 out of 10. Even though I enjoyed Ryan Kelly the most, it was awesome to see a live performance from the Gustavo Rocque himself. The speakers were pretty great too, but out of everyone, Aiden Park was one of the most inspiring speakers I have ever heard. I also found myself reaching around as my brain was being trained instead of waiting to open my eyes, which I thought was pretty trippy. I’ve had a fun time at marketplace today because I finally got to meet Gustavo and ask him when the snickerdoodle song was being released. I did not get a straight answer, but he did share that that was the song that got him into the songwriters union, and that he basically had to fight Nickelodeon to get them to let him play music on the show. I also got to try beach chair drop ride, and I must say that it was both amazing and terrifying at the same time, probably because I went on level 10. I did very much enjoy where we went for dinner tonight, and the fact that I got to connect with even more people on different e boards. We did get to the last showcase a little late and I did miss seeing Emma Jude, who I was looking forward to seeing the most. I’m not that upset about it because Learnmore was so hilarious, that he was even funnier than Ryan.
Bridgewater State University goes to NACA 