Illuminate your business experience with Illuminate x Markham

Hi everyone! My name is Ken Sue-A-Quan and I am a Grade 11 student at York Mills Collegiate Institute. Today, I had the pleasure to attend Illuminate x Markham’s regional conference.

As the first ever case competition that I have ever participated in, I had an amazing overall experience and gained a lot of insights from my peer’s presentations and the keynote speakers. Some of the key pointers that I took away from the keynote presentations was that in order to grow as an individual, you need to put yourself into uncomfortable situations. By doing so, you not only overcome your fears but also you develop skills that will bring you results that you would have never expected to occur. Looking at the social entrepreneurship aspect of the conference, a big idea that I took away was that entrepreneurship focuses on making immediate revenue while a social entrepreneur focuses on the development of the company and its social impacts on the long run.

Outside of the amazing pointers and insights that were provided during the conference, the core component of the event that I enjoyed the most was that it brought innovative and passionate students together. Although we were essentially competing against one another, the conference was also an opportunity to connect with like-minded individuals who share a common interest in business. Not only that, the competitive environment was a huge inspiration to work hard especially during these times in lockdown where many people like myself were losing motivation to strive for better.

All in all, although it was super nerve racking the Illuminati x Markham conference was an experience that I would never forget and I would like to thank Illuminate for hosting such an amazing event!