My Experience at the Fusion Conference as a 1A Student
My 1A Term
The moment I heard about the Fusion Conference, I thought that it was an event that was way too advanced for me. I learned about it near the beginning of my very first semester of the Science and Business program. In fact, I had barely settled into university life at all– I was confused by and, honestly, a little scared of all that came with being a student. But, with some persuasion from my friend, I decided to sign up for Fusion and have it be my first university event.
We partnered up with two other students from my SCBUS 123 class, whom I hadn’t before spoken to, despite being in the same class three times a week. After being assigned the case, the four of us put our heads together for ten days straight working on our presentation. As we worked on the presentation, we learned a lot about the basics of biotechnology and entrepreneurship.
Masterclasses
Upon arriving at Federation Hall, we were greeted by a wide arrangement of set tables, banners, and ribbons. I felt in over my head, but the feeling dissipated quickly. We were approached by a man who later revealed himself to be one of the judges of the case conference, and a graduate of the Science and Business program. He advised us to not think so hard about the lines we had rehearsed and stressed the importance of feeling natural when presenting. He also gave us advice on harnessing the innumerable opportunities presented to SCBUS students. His guidance was cut short by the announcement that the Masterclasses were about to begin– short lectures given by industry professionals on topics related to the frontiers of tech.
There were seminars on everything from AI to investing. My masterclass was on the topic of Financial Modelling. We were taught about basic concepts like payback analysis and were given an Excel sheet to work through over the course of the presentation. The masterclass was also my first opportunity to connect with the other delegates– we discussed the work and how to approach it.
I had barely settled into university life at all...
An Unpredictable Situation
After the seminar came lunch, with the food being served by caterers in the main hall. Most of my lunch was spent going over my lines and information. I had planned out everything I could, in anticipation of the Q&A with the judges that would come after the presentation. After going back to our rooms to practice more, we returned for the start of the case competition.
We were sent to a breakout room with three other teams, a panel of judges, and some Fusion executives. We sat down, lines rehearsed, ready to present… and disaster struck. Two of our group members, who had been under the weather, felt sick and were forced to forgo the presentation. With just minutes to go until our presentation, my groupmate and I felt panic beginning to set in. We consulted with one of the executives in the room with us, who bolstered our confidence and suggested we present nonetheless.
My Fusion Conference Experience
Apprehensive, and with all our previous practice gone out the window, we took the stage in front of our peers and judges and gave our presentation to the best of our abilities. The judges were stern but reassuring, asking clarifying questions on our material.
We didn’t end up winning any prizes, but the experience was more than worth it for the lesson I learned in working through an unpredictable situation, not to mention the insights given by the industry leaders and other students I met.
Overall, the Fusion Conference was a great first university event, teaching me not only academic skills but social skills and personal values, too.
