2024 Conference Keynote
Transforming How We Thrive: How being brave, kind and curious creates connection and belonging
Niki Weight, Head Academic Advisor, College of Education, Oregon State University
Keynote Abstract:
How many times in the last few years, months, weeks, or even minutes have you asked yourself, how am I going to get through this? Chances are it’s more than one time. As members of a helping profession in an ever-changing field, the work we do can be exhausting. While navigating personal and systemic change, we need to center on the key factor that helps us to thrive instead of survive: our connections to ourselves and other people. In this keynote, we will discuss how to be brave, kind, and curious to transform the way we thrive. We will share strategies for developing your own self-awareness and vulnerability, ways to build transformational relationships and create spaces of belonging, and how to use these strategies to thrive during ongoing change.
Bio:
Niki Weight (she/her) is the Head Academic Advisor for the College of Education at Oregon State University. She has been in academic advising for over 12 years and earned her Master of Science in Academic Advising from Kansas State University. In that time, Niki has worked in a variety of advising roles, including as a front-line advisor and as an advising administrator, that have allowed her to work with students, advisors, and university leaders in all capacities. Niki’s passion and purpose include providing holistic support to students throughout their academic journey; reducing barriers for students to access and complete higher education to improve their lives and the lives of others; and developing systems, practices, and networks that enable advisors and institutions in having the best tools and skills to support students. In her free time, Niki enjoys reading, napping, walking/playing with her golden retriever, and going to the beach with her husband and daughters.
How many times in the last few years, months, weeks, or even minutes have you asked yourself, how am I going to get through this? Chances are it’s more than one time. As members of a helping profession in an ever-changing field, the work we do can be exhausting. While navigating personal and systemic change, we need to center on the key factor that helps us to thrive instead of survive: our connections to ourselves and other people. In this keynote, we will discuss how to be brave, kind, and curious to transform the way we thrive. We will share strategies for developing your own self-awareness and vulnerability, ways to build transformational relationships and create spaces of belonging, and how to use these strategies to thrive during ongoing change.
Bio:
Niki Weight (she/her) is the Head Academic Advisor for the College of Education at Oregon State University. She has been in academic advising for over 12 years and earned her Master of Science in Academic Advising from Kansas State University. In that time, Niki has worked in a variety of advising roles, including as a front-line advisor and as an advising administrator, that have allowed her to work with students, advisors, and university leaders in all capacities. Niki’s passion and purpose include providing holistic support to students throughout their academic journey; reducing barriers for students to access and complete higher education to improve their lives and the lives of others; and developing systems, practices, and networks that enable advisors and institutions in having the best tools and skills to support students. In her free time, Niki enjoys reading, napping, walking/playing with her golden retriever, and going to the beach with her husband and daughters.