June began with one of the most wonderful experiences of my professional and personal life with diabetes…and that is the American Diabetes Association’s 82nd Annual Scientific Sessions conference.

I attended as part of my job at the College Diabetes Network and already felt very lucky that I was offered the ability to go. But I felt doubly fortunate as it was unclear whether or not I’d actually be able to go about a week prior to the event. As I briefly mentioned in Monday’s blog post, I had a rebound case of covid at the tail end of May and spent the days leading up to the conference feeling fairly frantic about coming to terms with the reality that I may not be well enough to attend.

Fortunately, everything worked out in my favor – and I’m so beyond glad that it did.

Attending this conference reignited my passion for what I do and the community that I aim to serve. For the first time, I was able to connect in-person with so many powerhouses working within the diabetes sector, hear about the amazing work they’re doing, and learn about the many exciting advancements being made in diabetes care and research. The energy and vivacity was practically tangible, and it reinforced the importance of the work that I do.

I didn’t attend this conference alone, though: Besides a few of my CDN colleagues, I was also accompanied by some of our NextGen Fellows. (Read all about the NextGen program here and meet this year’s fellows here and here.) Watching them get to know one another, network with individuals they admire, and share their stories was awesome and evidence of why the program matters.

My gratitude over this experience is endless: I’m grateful that I met everyone that I interacted with, that my diabetes was (relatively) well-behaved and that I didn’t run out supplies, that I learned so much, and that I was able to go, period! I can’t wait for future opportunities like this that allow me to connect in-real-life with the awesome diabetes community.