Every student goes to university with a purpose. To me, university means forming connections and developing skills that help me make a positive impact on the world. I'm always looking for opportunities that help me achieve this goal through my passion for science, business, and technology, so joining the Fusion team in 2020 was a dream come true.
Due to the pandemic, we had to rethink how to deliver an engaging conference in unusual circumstances. We faced many challenges, but our biggest challenge was losing access to our Google Workspace a few days before the conference, including the Drive in which 16 years' worth of data was stored. Although we were able to recover from this challenge by working as a team to mitigate short-term risks, the impact significantly affected the following year.
The 2020 Fusion Conference.
As the 2021 President, my primary goals were to define a vision and establish a strong foundation for the conference despite lost data, which taught me how to lead through ambiguity. With a part-time job and exams around the corner, I also learned how to prioritize multiple urgent commitments.
In hindsight, the loss of our Google Workspace had a silver lining, because not only did the experience help us grow, but it also enabled us to have a fresh start and improve our internal processes. From standard operating procedures to deliverable rubrics, hundreds of new documents were created to serve as a guideline for the 2021 team and beyond.
Upon laying a strong foundation for the year, many new initiatives were established, including branded merchandise and certificates. We also expanded the conference globally, hosted a two-week case competition, and increased the cash prizes from $1,000 to $6,000.
The team celebrating the success of the 2021 Fusion Conference.
After two years on the team, I can happily say that I’ve taken a step towards making the world a better place. The 2021 Conference provided students worldwide with opportunities to learn and build relationships, all thanks to our incredible speakers, networkers, judges, and sponsors.
As I now reflect on my journey at Fusion, my biggest takeaway was building relationships along the way. In addition to the many stakeholders who kindly supported Fusion, I worked with a passionate team and was mentored by Dr. Okey Igboeli, Director of the Science and Business program. Not only did Dr. Igboeli support us as our Advisor, but he also taught me a lot about problem solving and making difficult decisions.
I also learned a lot about myself and the world around me, and I’m excited to take my learnings with me beyond Fusion and continue to change the world one step at a time.
I also learned a lot about myself and the world around me, and I’m excited to take my learnings with me beyond Fusion and continue to change the world one step at a time.