Here are the presenters and participants in the first It’s MI Life College Tools & Tips Conference. We will be adding to this list as we confirm attendees, mentors and speakers who will participate. If you are interested in taking part, contact Nancy Hanus at nhanus@itsmilife.com
Kimberly Lifton (WOW Writing Workshop)
Kimberly Lifton is a journalist and a communications consultant who has spent two decades helping high school students write college essays. Her work as a journalist has appeared in The Detroit News, Detroit Free Press, Crain’s Detroit Business and various trade publications. Lifton and Susan Knoppow, a teacher and writer herself, have worked together as writing partners for several years.
In 2009, Lifton and Knoppow started WOW Writing Workshop to help students who were anxious about their college application essays. The pair use a 10-step method to help students find their voices and put their words on paper. Lifton will take students through an exercise that will help them in writing college admissions essays. More about Lifton, Knoppow and WOW Writing Workshops.
Linda Braun (Performance consultant)
Linda Braun is an independent consultant who works with businesses and nonprofits to improve the performance of their people and processes. She designs curricula, develops training and performance support tools. She facilitates meetings, focus groups, planning sessions for small and large groups. She holds a master’s degree in education, is a trustee on the Troy Foundation for Educational Excellence Board, and has two college-bound teenagers.
Braun will take students through an exercise to help them to figure out what their priorities are, what they are interested in, and where they might go to college that would fit their own goals and aspirations.
Nancy Hanus (It’s MI Life editor and conference coordinator)
Nancy Hanus is a longtime journalist who now teaches in the School of Journalism at Michigan State University. She also is project manager and editor for It’s MI Life. Hanus, who spent 19 years as an editor at The Detroit News, will show students some of the features of ItsMILife.com, and how they can better use the site to connect with other high school students, college students and professionals. More on Nancy Hanus
Aaron Olson (MSU graduate and ItsMILife.com designer)
Aaron Olson recently graduated from the Michigan State University School of Journalism and is currently designing pages for The Detroit News. He is the primary designer for the ItsMILife.com site. He will illustrate some of the upcoming features of the revised ItsMILife site and how they can be used by site members and participants. More about Aaron Olson
Jason Kemp (MSU student representative for MyEdu.com)
Jason Kemp is a Communication and Public Relations senior at Michigan State University. As a campus representative and liaison for MyEdu.com, Jason meets with students, faculty and uses social media to spread awareness about this valuable campus resource. He is also an intern at the Rossman Group, a public affairs firm in Lansing, where he works closely with real-world public relations clients.
Kemp will be speaking about resources all students should be aware of during their transition from high school to college — resources that are often overlooked usually make the biggest difference during a student’s first year at college.
James McLaughlan (Conference facilitator, panel moderator and leader of college mentors)
James McLaughlan grew up in and attended high school in Milford, Mich. After exploring several collegiate options, he decided on Michigan State University and its interdisciplinary residential college, James Madison. Not only did the program focus on his fields of interest, but it offered a rare experience–the specialized feel of a small college coupled the vast research and athletic opportunities of one of the largest universities in the United States.
Since entering college, James has maintained a commitment to community service and consistently volunteers for HOBY (Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership), a non-profit youth leadership development organization dedicated to empowering the leaders of tomorrow. He currently works as a part-time legislative aide in the State House of Representatives, and his experiences there reaffirm the important role of bright young leaders to the future of Michigan.
He is confident that It’s MI Life will provide students with invaluable knowledge, tools, and tips for college and beyond, and is excited to be a part of it!
Margaret Trimer-Hartley (School superintendent and Your Child board president)