The Experience of Growth and Innovation

Have you ever experienced the world of cybersecurity and thought deeply about your beliefs?

I never learned about cybersecurity first-hand or took the time to think much about my beliefs. However, the keynote speakers and workshops have introduced me to a career world that I never explored and made me think about what values I live my life by. If I did not attend this conference, I would not have become aware of some of the key takeaways I found.

Hi everyone! Good morning, evening, or night whenever you are reading or scrolling through this blog post. My name is Rizwan, and I am a grade 11 student at Woburn Collegiate Institute. Today, I had the pleasure and opportunity to attend Illuminate x Markham’s regional conference. Through the conference, I learned a few things about cybersecurity, personal development, growth, and what skills are crucial in a technology-driven world.

The workshops and career panel provided me with insightful and informative words that made me realize how unique one can be and the world of cybersecurity. The first keynote, led by Christal Wang, was a fantastic personal growth session that helped me understand what I need to do to become the best person I can be and successful in the future. Her presentation mainly talked about her career, journey, and some points she recognized, which are vital to success and a key takeaway for me. Some of those points included sticking to your principles and beliefs, taking risks, not being afraid to try something new, having fun, and not taking everything seriously. These points helped me conclude that everyone has to be open to change and adaptability while aligning ourselves with our own values. I always believe that everyone should learn, adapt, be curious, and be interested in things.

The second keynote, led by Mash Chowdhury, was a fantastic session that dwelled on the world of cybersecurity and gave everyone a brief introduction to what exactly is cybersecurity. His presentation talked about cybersecurity, consulting, what are they, and demonstrated how we can be consultants ourselves. In this session, I experienced a situation where I am a consultant and view a problem or a request from a client from a consultant’s perspective. In addition to the consulting experience, a few of the other takeaways Mash mentioned were focusing on my growth, always be curious, and think that everything is possible and nothing is restricted.

As a closing statement, I can say, with utmost certainty, that this conference was an informative, engaging, and eye-opening event that helped me understand what I need to have and do to become a successful individual. If you are thinking about attending one of Illuminate Universe’s conferences in the coming months, do not hesitate to participate!! Thank you to the regional leads, Illuminate Universe, and keynote speakers for a conference in a lifetime.