Our annual fall conference was held yesterday at Midland University! With over 175 teachers and students in attendance from both near and far, this may have been the best EMPOWER yet!
A Star-Studded Lineup of Speakers
Keynote Address by Dirk Chatelain
We kicked off EMPOWER24 with our Keynote Speaker, Dirk Chatelain. Chatelain is an award-winning journalist, writer, and author. He spoke to students about the power of storytelling; being patient when searching for and uncovering the truth; the importance of curiosity and the lengths it can take you; and how all that can make a meaningful impact in your local community.
Dirk weaved together personal anecdotes and hard-hitting lessons into a motivational story for students—the future storytellers of the world.
Hurrdat Sports Panel with Sausha Durkan, Mike Sautter, & Kyle Byers
Following our Keynote Speaker, we brought on stage three media powerhouses and content creators from the Hurrdat Sports team. Sausha Durkan, Mike Sautter, and Kyle Byers made up our Hurrdat Sports panel, hitting hard on being intentional with relationships; creating and telling stories differently; and learning the necessary organizational skills to be successful.
Durkan, Sautter, and Byers are incredible examples of pursuing your passions and letting them lead you to growth and greatness!
Midland University Student Panel Moderated by Dr. Nick Schreck
Finishing off our morning sessions was a talented panel of students from Midland University’s Dunklau School of Business moderated by Dean Schreck! Dr. Schreck brought together Meredith Ehlenfield, Maddy Fauver, and Steph Strobel to discuss MU student-life and why they call Midland home; the real-world, hands-on opportunities that Midland has afforded students; and skills they think high school students need to graduate with to be successful in college.
We’re grateful for our partnership with Midland University and the ability to provide a glimpse of the incredible opportunities awaiting students in Fremont!
A New Creative Project for Students
This year we tasked EMPOWER24 students with a new creative project: create a 30-second Midland University commercial. But here’s the trick, they only had 90 MINUTES to capture footage, creative graphic elements, and edit the final product. Using branding assets, voice, and guidelines—students had free reign to film!
Countless students took over MU’s campus while students were away for fall break and created some fun, on-brand commercials! Eleven schools submitted commercials that were then judged by a panel of Midland University Admissions staff and students.
We’re excited to announce that Mr. Rose’s digital media class from Columbus High School won the competition! They received a near-perfect score from the judges that said they did a fantastic job embodying MU’s mission and vision while capturing the best parts of their university. Watch their commercial below!
What Teachers are Saying About EMPOWER24
We asked teachers what brought them to EMPOWER24 and why they would recommend our fall conference to others, and we had some incredible results! For some, teachers enjoy EMPOWER because there is no other conference like that puts broadcasting and digital media at the forefront.
Johnson-Brock’s Tera Stutheit said, “There are few conferences like this for broadcasting students so it’s nice to have this opportunity! We enjoy the speakers and for students to see real world application for the skills we’re doing in class.”
Other teachers emphasized the unique opportunity to connect with other schools who are broadcasting and creating contenting!
“Striv’s fall conference gives kids the opportunity to see others in the field and learn from leaders in the industry.” - Matt Hinkel, Northwest High School
"I love getting our student crew out together to hang with their tribe. It’s great to have something to look forward to and bond with each other.” - Travis Coe, Crete High School
Want to Relive Fall Conference?
If you weren’t able to make it to EMPOWER24 or want to relive the day, be sure to join our Future Ready Educators community to get access to the recordings!