Hello Network, Long time no see!
It's been a while since I have posted, but am excited to share what I have been doing the past few months.
Conference 1-
Back in November 2023 I presented my undergraduate research at the Student Success in education conference, which consisted of intense discussions and groundbreaking research of how we can enhance the academic experience for students and encourage success. This was my first ever conference and I won't lie I was very nervous, coming into a space of academics to share authentic student voices was challenging. first of all I felt out of my depth presenting to seasoned academics and secondly I felt a big responsibility to represent students as our voices are often mediated or overlooked in these settings.
The day was filled with inspiring presentations and a keynote speech by Brightness Mangolothi who emphasised the importance of student belonging and decolonisation of the curriculum. I presented 'Freedom of the Archives' alongside Grace Nash, showcasing our research on the pedagogical framework of Thinking Inside the Box which aims to show the impacts of alternative teaching methods. This was followed by an insightful Q and A session where we provided our student perspectives to show the need and importance of change within our education system . I felt a bitter sweet ending to this conference, as on one hand it was a big achievement as my first conference, but left feeling as if I could have done better. Slight disappointment left me determined to learn from my experience and improve.
Conference 2-
As of the past few days I have had the opportunity of being invited to attend and present at the British conference of undergraduate research 2024, which is a national interdisciplinary conference involving undergraduate research from across the country, this year held at LSE.
Day 1
I will confess... I have never been to London (which shocked majority of people), so on the way to the the conference i was experiencing the hustle and bustle of the city. Upon arrival we were given a warm welcome and an inspiring keynote speech by Dr Grace Lordan about 'Thinking Big' which reinforced my presence at the conference in that I am pushing myself out of my comfort zone and taking the steps to develop myself. Following this I presented 'Freedom of the Archives' alongside my colleague Grace Nash. I was very nervous for this partly because I had completely transformed the presentation since the last conference, also I wanted to prove to myself I can do it despite the nerves. The presentation was a huge success! and was followed by insightful questions and discussions. I was genuinely so proud of this moment as I felt empowered, due to gaining so much confidence in my presentation skills and that all my efforts had paid off. The day was then full of networking and engaging with others presentations ranging from subjects such as the 'fetishising trans and fat bodies' to 'the impacts of hormonal birth control on sport performance and muscle growth'. Also participating in the 'diversify your thinking' workshop that developed my skills on how to form new ideas and think outside the box. Finally ending the day with a conference dinner and networking session where I had the opportunity to make meaningful connections with a variety of individuals.
Day 2-
The second day began with insightful conversations regarding research within the poster exhibition, learning about personal interests of mine such as Autism and the role of 'sharenting' in social media alongside research conducted in Ghana (which is where I am going for my LIA, so stay tuned!). Following this 2 more keynote speakers Dr. Jillian Terry and professor Tim Leunig provided such informative and thought provoking talks: 'Beyond the boundaries: The power of becoming Disciplinary' and 'Economic challenges for the next generation'. After this I supported fellow Laidlaw scholars from my cohort by attending their amazing presentations before my conference experience came to a close.
Overall I feel like I have grown and developed so much as an individual, seeing such a difference in my character in such a short time frame. Due to the support of the programme and my peers this has been an unforgettable experience where I have been inspired to keep pushing further and to not limit myself. I have new ambitions to return at the BCUR 2025 conference in Newcastle with my dissertation research in future.
I would like to thank the incredible BCUR team at LSE for all of their hard work in putting together this conference (Dr.Claire Gordon, Hongli Liu and David Faggiani). And finally a massive thank you to the Laidlaw foundation and the University of Leeds for this opportunity. I am so fortunate to have had this experience and have nothing but gratitude for Rebecca Shaw and Matt Penhaligon who have always been so encouraging and have gone above and beyond. :)