Illuminate x Markham- A Plethora of Learning Opportunities

Hi everyone! My name is Amy Yin and I am a Grade 11 Student at Dr. Charles Best Secondary School in British Columbia. Today, I had the pleasure to attend Illuminate x Markham’s regional conference.

As an attendee, I was able to tune in to numerous presentations, as well as hear the stories of two amazing keynote speakers. This conference has allowed me to think outside the box when developing our case ideas, and I had the chance to further explore the social entrepreneurship realm of business. Here are my overall thoughts regarding the events of today, as well as some things I took away from the Future of Social Entrepreneurship conference.

Firstly, I was specifically impressed by our first keynote speaker, Christal Wang. From her presentation, I learned that it is never too late to change your career pathway, and it is never too late to try something new. I would often overthink and worry about not knowing the specific career path that I wanted to pursue; however, after hearing Christal's story, I realized that I should stay more openminded regarding my future. After all, I'm still a high school student who has a lot of time for self-discovery.

In addition, I found Mash Chowdhury's presentation about choosing a career that is best for YOU very inspiring. I appreciate how he shared his story regarding his difficult transition from the Southeast Asian culture to the Western culture. Nevertheless, he was able to persevere, which allowed him to secure a position as a Cyber Risk Analyst with Deloitte Canada. I learned that in order to accomplish and achieve your goals, you must first be willing to step out of your comfort zone. His presentation was very informative as well; he offered a simple and easy-to-understand explanation on cybersecurity. Moreover, I especially enjoyed his "Let's make you a Consultant" activity. I loved how interactive the activity was- it helped me learn a little more about the consulting field, and it made me realize that consulting could be a good career fit.

Overall, I would like to thank Illuminate Universe, the Regional Leads, and the Keynote Speakers, for hosting such an engaging event. The Future of Social Entrepreneurship Conference was a great learning experience to not only enhance my public speaking, presentation, and teamwork skills, but also to gain new knowledge regarding career transitions and different areas of work.