Collide

Scout is a student-led design collective at Northeastern University with eight teams and over 110 team members. The conference team focuses on Scout's annual design conference, a one-day event where students and professionals come together to discuss, share, and connect on the future of design.

I was lucky enough to not only be a part of this team but lead all 22 students in creating this meaningful and fruitful experiences for all our attendees.

Pre-Conference Dinner

The festivities were kicked off with an elegant pre-conference dinner where Scout executives, speakers, sponsors, and other supporters came together to celebrate the hard work throughout the year. This event proved to be an amazing time for connection and conversation between students and external partners.

This one-day event featured many accomplished individuals that brought deep insight into our theme of Collide. A few speakers to highlight include:

Elizabeth McGarry, Co-founder and creative director at MCGARRY&Sons

Rob Davison, Creative Director at Boston University

Sydney Crescenzo, Product Design Manager at Khan Academy

Jen Ashman, Head of Envisioning at Other Tomorrows

Other notable events throughout the day included a paper mechanics workshop with Todd Linkner, a Northeastern design professor, a brainstorming workshop led by experience designers on the conference team, and student poster presentations which featured top research projects by fellow Northeastern students.

Post-Conference Reflection

Directing this conference has been one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my life. While it involved many late nights, countless meetings, and endless Slack messages, it was also an incredibly enriching journey. Although taking on this role might seem like a leap of faith, it has undoubtedly been the most fulfilling endeavor of my college career. I gained valuable skills in team leadership, creative direction, event operations, and sponsorship outreach, to name just a few. More importantly, the most significant growth I experienced was in my confidence. When I first started, I had no idea what I was doing and felt underqualified. But over time, I realized two key things: 1) no one truly has it all figured out, and 2) embracing discomfort is where real growth happens. It’s been a thrilling, transformative experience, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to learn and grow through it.

Interventions: COLLIDE