There is always that moment at a conference when you walk into a room filled with people, scan the crowd, and wonder where you are supposed to go. Maybe you recognize a few faces from LinkedIn or have colleagues attending with you. Or maybe you are standing there thinking, “I literally do not know anyone here.” Then someone says hello, starts a conversation, or invites you to join them, and suddenly the room feels a little smaller. That simple moment is one of the things I love most about professional conferences.

Hi, I’m Stephanie, and I am incredibly excited to serve as a first-year Field Guide Leader for the OLC conference. Throughout my career in education, I have developed a strong belief in what I call the Power of One. One person, one conversation, one opportunity, or one idea can have an impact far beyond what we recognize in the moment.

I think conferences can create those same moments. We spend a lot of time preparing by looking through the schedule, selecting sessions, identifying speakers we want to hear, and deciding which topics we need to learn more about. All of those things are important, but some of the most valuable learning may happen outside of a scheduled session. It may happen while waiting for coffee, sitting down for lunch, walking to the next presentation, or talking with the person who happens to sit beside you.

That is my challenge to everyone attending OLC this year: find your one. Meet one person you would not have met if you had stayed within your comfort zone. Ask someone what brought them to OLC or what they are hoping to learn. Introduce yourself to a presenter whose ideas made you think differently. Sit at a table where you do not already know everyone. Share a challenge you are trying to solve at your institution and listen to how someone else might approach it. You do not have to walk into the conference thinking about networking. Just be willing to have a conversation.

Of course, that can sometimes be easier said than done. Conferences are exciting, but they can also be overwhelming, especially when you are attending for the first time or traveling without a group of colleagues. There are sessions happening everywhere, people moving in every direction, and it can appear that everyone else already knows exactly where they are going and who they are meeting. The truth is that many people are figuring it out too, and that is exactly why the Field Guide program is so valuable.

Field Guides are there to help make the conference feel more manageable and personal. We can help you navigate the conference, talk through sessions that might match your interests, answer questions, and help you make connections. If you are attending alone, come tell us. If you have no idea which session to choose, ask us. If there is a topic you are passionate about and you want to find others interested in the same thing, let us know. Sometimes you simply need a familiar face in a room full of unfamiliar ones, and we can be that too.

As a first-year Field Guide Leader, that is the part I am looking forward to most. I am excited about the sessions and ideas that will be shared, but I am even more excited about the conversations that have not been planned yet. There is something special about bringing together people who care deeply about learning and giving them space to exchange ideas, ask questions, laugh together, and realize that someone at another institution may be working through the exact same challenges they are.

I also hope everyone remembers that you are not only coming to OLC to gain something. You are bringing something with you. Your experiences, ideas, successes, mistakes, questions, and perspectives may be exactly what someone else needs to hear. The conversation you almost did not start could introduce someone to a new idea. The person you invite to sit with you might have arrived not knowing anyone. The question you ask during a session may be the same question someone else was hesitant to ask. Your one small action could become someone else’s Power of One moment.

So, as you build your OLC schedule, leave a little room for the unexpected. Go to the sessions that excite you, take notes, collect resources, and bring ideas home to your institution. But also look up from the schedule and notice the people around you. Introduce yourself first. Ask the question. Join the conversation. Say hello to the person standing alone. Most importantly, come find the Field Guides and let us be part of your experience.

I hope you will come say hello. Tell me what brought you to OLC, what you are hoping to learn, or what idea you cannot stop thinking about. Long after we have forgotten which breakout session was in which room, we will remember the people we met and the conversations we had. Sometimes, one person, one conversation, or one unexpected connection really is all it takes.

-Stephanie Heald
2026 Field Guide Leader