Say yes By Kayla Klein

Have you ever been asked to present a financial aid session or a training? Picture this… You sat through a class and learned all the information… you may have been in your current job for just a few months or even a few years. You took in all the information and got nervous as the test deadline approached. And then the day finally came and you did it, you passed the test! Next thing you know, you receive an email asking if you will teach others on this topic, helping them through the credential process. You take a deep breath, and do it. You respond yes. Now what?!

This is where I was a few short weeks ago, and I felt a sense of honor being asked to and then teaching a credential.

I sat at my desk and wondered… Where do I even begin? What if I forget something? Then I thought, it certainly can’t be any worse than taking the actual test. So I dove into producing a 241 slide presentation on Direct Loans to make sure that I had every possible note and answer. I took my note binder everywhere with me… It made the flight to Dallas so I could prep while I was not working and it also even traveled to Kansas City so I could study in between making floral arrangements for my cousins wedding. I was prepping like crazy, like I had to retake that test. I had to knock this out of the ball park.. or at least give it a strong left field swing. Plus, depending on how Missouri does with credentialing, it’s possible we can retake the top spot from Georgia for the state with the most credentials, which would be exciting too.

The day came, and it was time for me to do it. I was ready. It was time to share all that I learned and all that I studied. I had the floor from 10 am in the morning until 3 pm in the afternoon. It turned out it was Pi day, so I opened the session with having attendees share a Kahoot of their favorite pie along with asking some interesting direct loan questions. I spent the day with peers, navigating them through the process and the tons of information I had collected and studied. My goal was to get them ready to take the Direct Loans Test. The time went way faster than I imagined, and the next thing I knew we were done, the room cleared, and it was over! I walked away feeling good about those 241 slides… and it wasn’t so bad. I realized that my prep work gave me confidence… and “I swung for the fences” that day when I presented.

  So here’s my advice to my colleagues: I encourage you to say yes when asked to present a credential, or at a conference or a training. Helping each other makes us all better! And I now have this internal badge of honor for teaching a credential, what a great feeling.

 

Kayla Klein is MASFAP’s Early Awareness Committee Chair

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