I feel beyond fortunate to have been chosen to attend the WAEA Conference this fall. During the conference, I gained knowledge that will make a life-long impact on my personal teaching philosophy, pedagogy, and practice as an art educator. The sessions that I attended and the conversations that I had with others in the field provided me with a unique and new perspective of how I can best continue to learn and grow as a pre-service art educator. The amount of helpful information and resources that I left the conference was overwhelming… in a good way! I am excited to implement some new protocols and practices at Children’s Art Club, during practicum and student teaching, and eventually in my future classroom. I truly believe that continuous learning is an essential part of being an educator and staying involved with WAEA is an important part of that learning experience which is why I want to continue my participation in NAEA even after graduation. In addition to the educational benefits that I received as a result of attending the conference, I also felt that my well-being was enriched as a result of attending the conference. Interacting with other professionals in the field gave me more confidence to continue on my path toward becoming an art educator because it made me feel supported and cared about in this profession. This support encourages me to stay committed to art education despite the challenges that come with being an educator. Not only did I feel supported by experienced educators, but I also felt supported by other art ed students. Sharing my experience with other pre-service educators from other schools helped me to expand my connections in the art education community. As Tiffany Beltz, one of the Conference Co-Chairs stated in a pre-service session, “WAEA is your tribe, your people.” I could not agree more. Being surrounded by art educators for a whole two days made me feel empowered by my decision to become an art educator, and I cannot wait to spend my life learning alongside my fellow teachers and future students.