Experience from Illuminate NHLC Workshop

Hi Everyone! My name is Jay Shah and I am a Grade 12 student at Chinguacousy Secondary School. Today, I had the pleasure to attend the Illuminate National High School Leadership Conference with over 170 students globally. Here is my blog which strives to highlight what I learned about Finance, Stocks, Inclusive Leadership, Benefits of CPA Designation, and Life Lessons in general.

Leadership Quote: mA leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way -, John C. Maxwell

CPA Ontario Keynote

The speaker's name was Iliana, and she was a Managing Director at Excentra. Iliana had difficulty in understanding the word leadership. She thinks the most used and most important traits of a leader are resiliency and flexibility. What I learned from her is that leaders are a diverse group of people who embrace their human side. We cannot go wrong if we follow our interests.

CPA Pitch Workshop

Unfortunately, this workshop did not take place because the host had to go away for some emergency. However, Aliana talked about her life at University to keep the call engaging. From her story, what I learned from it was that if something goes wrong, you should not give up, and find opportunities from that downfall.

The World of Finance

I learned a lot about assets and stocks in this workshop. One key information that caught my eye was that $1 today is worth more than $1 in the future. There are also many types of asset classes, including cash or cash equivalent, Fixed Income/GIC, Real Estate, Commodities, and Stocks/Equities. The risk and return increase respectively. I also learned when you should invest in stocks.

Deloitte Keynote:

There are 6 main lessons that I learned from this keynote.1. It’s not enough to believe you are unbiased. You have to reach out and actively include. 2. You cannot always rely on her to include you. Sometimes you have to help yourself and assert yourself. 3. It’s okay to ask for help. 4. Don’t make assumptions - assumptions lead to walls and barriers. 5. It takes time. 6. Never underestimate the value of trust.

I am an entrepreneur because I have a great vision, which I will work hard to achieve using my knowledge, skills, and creativity. I also understand the feelings of others and am able to put myself in their shoes. If I had only $5 in my pocket, my business would be to buy something that's worth $5 that gets sold out occasionally and then sell it for more to buyers.

I am hoping to take part in the NHLC workshop again, and am looking forward to attending the Deloitte workshop as I was unable to today. Since I was unable to do the Concentra Challenge for personal reasons, I am looking forward to taking part in it next year and becoming one of the finalists. One advice about leadership is that you should try to understand others, show empathy, and be patient!