Fourteen years ago, I attended my first APCA conference to pursue my dream of being a professional speaker. Because I was still a senior in college, I had to leave after my evening class and drove ten hours through the night from Chicago to Atlanta.
Despite high hopes of crushing it, my first ed session only attracted two people, my booth was a home-made mess, and my main stage showcase was a train wreck. I wish I could say things got better after the conference, but they didn’t. You can read the full story here.
But I stuck with it and things eventually got better. The past fourteen years haven’t been all sunshine and rainbows. Many days, and even years, were overcast with dark clouds. But I stuck with it and things eventually got better.
Last week I attended my tenth APCA National conference where Swift Kick was awarded with our fifth “Speaker of the Year” award as well as being named the “2016 Entertainer of the Year.” We now hold the record for most number of APCA awards won by ANY performer on the college market!
Helping schools create an engaging atmosphere in which all their students reach new levels of success is my passion. Getting awarded for it is just the icing on the cake. Knowing that 600 colleges and universities from across the U.S. vote, I had to pinch myself when I first received a call that we had won both awards. It felt, and still feels, like a dream.
I started Swift Kick in 2004 to work with passionate educators and their students, who are discouraged by the lack of campus involvement. We facilitate the creation of a vibrant campus culture in which everyone feels welcome, connected, and engaged. During the past 12 years, we’ve worked with 550 different institutions and trained 227,000 campus leaders. Despite a long history, I feel like we are just getting started.
The part I love the most about the work we do is how the people we work with join the Swift Kick family and become our biggest champions. We wouldn’t be a tenth of the company we are now without the community of awesomeness that surrounds us. So I’ll close with a simple hug and thanks to everyone who has continued to believe, like we do, that people are a better version of themselves when they are plugged into a positive supportive community. We are better together.
