2024 Student Summit was Super Charged!
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If you were wondering what my New Year’s Resolutions list looked like, here you go:
- Exercise more.
- Grow more hair (on my head).
- Attend TAPPI-PIMA Student Summit!
Every January for the past 17 years, my batteries are recharged at the TAPPI-PIMA Student Summit. The prior calendar year’s worry and strife seem like a distant faded memory. As soon as I walk into the opening session, I’m greeted by a sea of brilliant students and their enthusiastic academic advisors all pumped up and ready to jump into this energy-filled weekend.
The crowd, smarter than the year before, has big smiles on their faces, wide-open eyes and the heart and passion dedicated to improving, changing, and enhancing the greatness of the greenest industry in the world.
This year’s event was held in Greenville, SC, January 12-15, 2024. We had 195 students from 15 schools, 24 sponsors (of which 21 held interviews), 72 speakers, moderators, and panelists, 3 mill tours, and 10 TAPPI staff members. Over 300 attendees in total—record attendance for this event!
Speaking of dedication, one of our participating schools, Western Michigan University’s flight was canceled in Detroit. After multiple hours of airport time, they did not give up. The group rode a bus to be with us on Saturday afternoon through Monday’s mill tours. That’s the dedication and resilience we see in our NextGen.
I am so thankful for all the time and effort from our team and all the volunteers from our schools and businesses who hit this year’s event out of the park. We look forward to seeing you January 17-20, 2025, in St. Petersburg, FL. Now that’s one New Year’s resolution worth keeping.
A big thank you to the 2024 Student Summit Planning Committee and TAPPI Staff:
Planning Committee
| Special Role | Name |
| PIMA Session Co-chair | Lea Scrapchansky |
| Naomi Gehling | |
| Zhihua Jiang | |
| YP Panel Chair | Stephen Bussa |
| Kurt Mehlberg | |
| Talia Massey | |
| Lexi Stoneburner | |
| Chris Luettgen | |
| Erin Phillips | |
| Brittani Wilson | |
| Tracy Studebaker | |
| Kathleen Collins | |
| Skyler McAffry | |
| Gary Rudemiller | |
| Steven Keller | |
| Emma Krabbe | |
| Planning Committee Chair | Med Byrd |
| Samuel Webb | |
| Kaya Kusmierczuk | |
| PIMA Session Co-chair | Jay Stockard |
| Larry Anker | |
| Pecha Kucha Chair | Sarah Loner |
| Trivia Chair | Gary Scott |
| Nicole Byrnes | |
| Paul Sausville | |
| Tom Schwartz | |
| Peyton Chahley | |
| Zoe North | |
| Ellie LeDuc | |
| Ulrike Tschirner | |
| Olivia Boudjouk | |
| Karyn Biasca | |
| Ted Fitzsimmons | |
| Philip Wells | |
| Jen Johnson | |
| Elise Ciciura | |
| Mira Marino | |
| Nick Millen | |
| Ashley Randall | |
| Rowan Edmonds | |
| Sophia Louden | |
| Engineering Competition Chair | Todd Varner |
| Roger Smith | |
| Troy Wilson |
TAPPI STAFF
| Onsite or Planning | Andrew Rittersbacher |
| Both | Jonathan Adan |
| Both | Jadana Donely |
| Planning | Kristin Dixon |
| Planning | Rachel Labgold |
| Both | Lisa Lockwood |
| Both | Mary Beth Cornell |
| Contractor | Paula Emde |
| Both | Portia Aofiyebi |
| Onsite | Lawton Roberts |
| Onsite | Simona Bethea |
| Onsite | Larry Montague |
| Onsite | John Addington |
| Onsite | Bridgette Brigham |
