From Friday 16th of October to Sunday 18th of October,  I had the privilege of representing the University of Leeds as a 2026 Laidlaw Scholar at the Laidlaw Scholars Annual Conference, hosted by Imperial College London. The Conference was an invaluable opportunity to connect with scholars from across the Laidlaw Network, and I really valued the opportunity to share stories and experiences of our Laidlaw Scholar journeys so far. Hearing about other scholars' research and leadership journeys was truly inspiring and tied in perfectly with the conference's theme of ambition. I particularly enjoyed the way that my fellow scholars from Leeds, Jamiel and Presto, demonstrated this sense of ambition through opening the conference with their impressive performance of 'Heroes' by David Bowie. 

A highlight of the conference for me was definitely seeing other scholars' research posters. Walking around and reading their posters, I was fascinated by the variety of important and relevant research topics and was inspired by passionate conversations with scholars about the projects they had undertaken. It was also a privilege to display my own research poster documenting my research in conjunction with the Feminist Art Making Histories project over the past summer, and I'm proud to be able to represent this project and continue their aim of honouring the voices represented in the archive.  

Another highlight for me was Zing Tsjeng's Money vs Morals talk, as her discussion of balancing ambition and drive with ethical considerations was an important reminder of the need for humility and empathy within leadership roles; an incredibly relevant topic that allowed us to reflect on the integrity of current world leaders. 

I also enjoyed hearing about previous scholars' Leadership in Action experiences during the LiA campfire sessions as it was inspiring to hear how they were able to implement their leadership training into impactful and sustainable global change, and I'm looking forward to following in their footsteps next summer. 

Reflecting on the conference, I would like to thank the Laidlaw Foundation for this incredible opportunity to connect with other scholars. I feel immensely grateful to be a part of such an inspiring and ambitious community within the global Laidlaw network, and for the continuous support and encouragement that our Leeds 2026 cohort and programme coordinators provide.  

I look forward to seeing how we continue to harness our ambitions as Laidlaw scholars to progress on our journeys!