My Laidlaw Journey So Far
Despite being at the very beginning of my Laidlaw journey, I can already say that it has been incredibly inspiring, exciting and thought provoking.
A few weeks ago, hosted in Leeds, was the Laidlaw Welcome Event which hosted Leeds' newest Laidlaw Scholars, (the 2026 cohort - of which I am a part of myself) members of previous cohorts, project supervisors and members of the Laidlaw team who organise events, ensure their smooth-running, and make it possible to be a Laidlaw Scholar. As my first Laidlaw experience, this was an incredible opportunity to meet my cohort, members of other cohorts and gain an insight into the incredible achievements of Laidlaw Scholars - through various means such as presentations and discussions of their research projects and leadership experiences.
Yesterday, I returned from my first residential trip with my cohort (and others). This was an amazing experience as I got to familiarise myself with the people I will continue to work alongside over the next couple of years and get to know everyone better and create connections. Across the two days we did various activities which helped us to gain a better understanding of: what it means to be a good leader, how we can challenge ourselves to develop as individuals, how to work better in a collaborative environment, how to network and create lasting connections, how to enhance our experience of our research period/ project/ outputs and how to make the most of our Laidlaw experience.
It is difficult to fully encapsulate all of my Laidlaw journey so far (at least whilst attempting to keep it short). However, I can say with certainty that as I continue my research period and Laidlaw experience, I can not wait for what comes next and am extremely grateful for all opportunities and experiences granted to me by the Laidlaw foundation!