Illuminate x Durham Conference Overview!

Hey everyone! My name is Rida Raja, I am a grade 10 student, and I currently attend Pickering High School. I got the wonderful opportunity to attend the Illuminate x Durham Case Study Conference today and I am going to share some thing's that I learnt.

To start off the conference I got the privilege of listening to Ilona Dougherty. She brought up topics such as how it is okay for young people to ask questions, and emphasized the importance of young people. I really liked how she spoke about how it is okay for young people to embrace their roles and push adults to be uncomfortable so they can make positive changes in the world. She also mentioned how youth should stop looking at experiences as learning experiences but as ways to change and improve the world. Another speaker was Dr. Cecile Fradin, who spoke about how stereotypes are things we can't avoid, how women need to support other women, and how it is important to determine your own values and not let others define what success is for you. Dr. Fradin also touched on how it is important to "be engaged, look for opportunities and achieve them." What I enjoyed most was watching other groups present their case studies and realizing how even though we all had the same topic, we all had unique and different solutions. The way I will apply my learning to my future career goals and/or personal development is by making sure to avail opportunities, asking questions and to explore opportunities. I have also learnt about imposter syndrome and for my future career and goals I would be able to identify and overcome it. In conclusion, I have learnt a lot from this conference and am so thankful for this opportunity.