Deanna Schreiber-GregoryIt all started as an extra credit opportunity for undergraduates. She submitted her honors thesis to a SAS conference to get a little cushion for an upcoming exam. It was accepted for presentation and she was accepted as a student scholar. That was in 2011. Since then, she has moved from first-generation college student and student scholar / junior professional award winner from a small town in the MidWest to invited speaker, conference committee member, and statistical programming expert/data manager for the federal government. This presentation details the lessons learned and experiences gained through the presenter’s participation and growth as a SAS conference presenter and network member. In this presentation, you will learn the benefits of accepting challenges as they arise, writing and presenting SAS conference papers, networking, and just making the most out of your conference experience. Regardless of when and how you came into the SAS conference world, through proper utilization of its opportunities, you too can leverage your conference experiences to maximize its benefits to your growth as a professional!