𝓑𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓷𝓷𝓲𝓷𝓰 𝓢𝓽𝓮𝓹𝓼 𝓽𝓸 𝓢𝓾𝓬𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼

Personal Introduction

Hello Everyone! My name is Abiramee Kathirgamanathan and I am a Grade 9 Pre-IB student at Maple High School. Today, I had the pleasure to attend the Illuminate x North York Regional Conference. Here is my blog which strives to highlight what I learned about management, collaboration and entrepreneurship.

“Leadership is the capacity to translate a vision into reality.” -Warren Bennis

Keynote Presentation by Dan Kiernan

The Keynote was a really great introduction to the conference I learned about reflecting on my strengths and weaknesses and how important it is. Another takeaway from the conference was that if we're going into a career we shouldn't do it on our own and get help from others. I liked how he mentioned about doing desk research and talking to people in the field. I think talking to people who are experienced in the career would be a really great way to understand your career and get insight on what they do. Dan also mentioned about how it's important to take care of yourself which I thought was a good balance to the hard work you put in to developing your career. Another valuable skill that he explained was how to give a proper introduction and Elevator Pitch.

Workshop #1: Personal Development and Career Development Elevator Pitch

Using Dan framework I was able to create my own introduction and presented in front of a small group of people. This really helped to improve my skills and gave me some useful practice. After this I'm confident that I’ll be able to give a good introduction to potential employers and co-employees,

Keynote Presentation by Swish Goswami

What were my key takeaways and learning outcomes?

From the keynote I understood that networking is important hen developing a career and to get to know people in the career that you want to go into, you should interview experts. He talked about how he received a wake-up call during his second or first year of University which is to explore a lot of careers. He also talked about how you should give your mind a rest by walking or clearing your head and explore careers based on your interests and what you enjoy doing your free time. He also compared the people you work with an unofficial marriage because you spend a lot of your time with these people and you need to choose them wisely so you'll be able to collaborate with them effectively. Another piece of advice I can get from the keynote was that you should have one big goal every year and try and work towards it instead of making a lot of resolutions that you won't be able to accomplish. I liked how he said to celebrate small wins because it provides you a satisfaction that you accomplished something even if it may be small.

Deloitte Case Study

When doing the case study I enjoyed working with others and collaborating to find a solution. However I thought the time limit to complete the case study and present it was nerve-racking and made me more nervous to present. From watching other presentations as well, I learned about how we could have made ours better and I would take these into consideration for next time and make sure to implement them. Overall it was an amazing experience and I really learned a lot about finding solutions to problems and speaking professionally.

Entrepreneurship and leadership know no boundaries.

I consider myself an entrepreneur because I possess the skills of a good communicator and like to express my ideas innovatively. If I were to create a business and only had $5 in my pocket, it would be a baking business. I would use the money to purchase any needed supplies or for advertisement. Even if I do not become an entrepreneur I can apply the mindset when contributing to future projects.

Closing

I'm passionate about taking this mindset into next year and figuring out my strengths and weaknesses. This conference really allowed me to learn more about myself and was very motivating. It inspired me to complete my goals in the future.

I'm passionate about taking this mindset into next year and figuring out my strengths and weaknesses. This conference really allowed me to learn more about myself and was very motivating. It inspired me to complete my goals in the future.

If I could share one piece of advice about leadership it would be to not be shy about putting yourself out there and constantly improve and work towards your goals. Thank you for reading, now go reach for the stars!!