ACPA truly has been my professional home since the beginning of my graduate school years. I value ACPA as a professional association because it provides a place of inclusion for all, regardless of social identity, ideology or years of service to the profession. I have found ACPA of particular value as the association has made space for me as a new professional to immediately be involved in leadership roles.
ACPA has been there for me from the beginning. From a graduate student to a mid-level professional, I have grown through the organization and created a network that grows stronger and more significant, both personally and professionally, each year. As a career services administrator, it is vitally important that I am affiliated with a higher education organization that recognizes career services as a knowledge community.
Making a commitment to inclusion and social justice means doing the hard work of evaluating yourself and recognizing and owning when you make a mistake. Yesterday, we were excited to announce Laverne Cox as our closing speaker for the 2015 Convention in Tampa. Cox is one of the stars of the hit television series Orange is the New Black and brings forward an important message of inclusion, particularly around issues of gender identity and expression. In our excitement to make the announcement, we made the unfortunate choice to include the tagline, “#ACPA15 is the New
