By: Emily Wells
MtM Staff Writer
On April 20, the UCF Future Technical Communicators (FTC) and members of the Orlando Central Florida (OCF) Chapter of STC gathered for the annual meeting at the University of Central Florida. The event, structured in a progression format, provided an opportunity for seven professional STC members to share their experience and knowledge with college students interested in or pursuing careers in technical communication. This year’s event, entitled “Picking a Path,” focused on career choices, job placement, and career advancement within the various disciplines of technical communication.
“Picking a Path” started with food and networking, followed by the presentation of the Melissa Pellegrin Memorial Scholarship for Excellence in Technical Communication. Established by the Orlando Chapter in 1997, the scholarship honors the memory of a 1994 UCF technical communication graduate and STC chapter member. The coveted award is presented annually to outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in the field of technical communication. This year, scholarship committee member Dr. Dan Jones presented the scholarship to the two recipients, Samra Khan and Jessica Mazza. Samra received the undergraduate award and Jessica received the graduate award.
In addition to the Pellegrin scholarship, the Suncoast scholarship was also presented at “Picking a Path.” Established by the Suncoast Chapter, this year’s scholarship went to a sophomore at the University of South Florida, Samantha McGilvray, who traveled all the way from Tampa to attend the meeting and receive her scholarship.
Unlike the scholarships, the final award, STC’s Distinguished Service Award for Students (DSAS), took its recipient by surprise. This award, given by the Society based on a nomination from an STC community, recognizes exemplary dedication and service to the community by a student member. This year’s DSAS award went to Crystal Brezina, OCF Chapter candidate for secretary for the upcoming 2017-2018 chapter year.
The citation reads: “For inspired leadership of the student members of the Orlando Central Florida Chapter [of STC] and tireless efforts in strengthening the dynamic partnership between our community and the University of Central Florida.”
Afterwards, seven progression-table hosts—all local STC members—presented on six topics related to this year’s theme, aimed towards giving students an idea of the diverse job opportunities available for them within the field of technical communication. Topics included:
All in all, the event was a big success. Many valuable lessons were learned, which can be seen in the recaps of the tabletop presentations in the six progression venues. Read on…