It was March 15th when I found out that I would be sent to London as a part of the delegation to participate in the Global Uzbekistan Festival. My heart was pounding, and it was very difficult to wrap my head around this news. My fingers got frozen in the air at the keyboard, where I was still working on my dissertation. All good things come in a very unexpected way, and this is what I have recently inferred. When all the bureaucratic deals were resolved and I got my visa, a triumphant cheer came out of my mouth.
I feel extremely lucky, as I was honored to take part in DEN’s annual conference at the University of Westminster. To take part in the 7th DEN’s Annual Conference, I was asked to send an abstract of my dissertation, as well as presentation slides that would perfectly summarize the paper’s highlights. Frankly speaking, it was not that easy to summarize a fairly long research paper into 12 sound presentation slides. The craft of writing genuinely begins with learning how to write concisely. I had spent more than 1.5 hours deciding how to convert every piece of my research into a concise slide before submitting it to Dr. Farhang Morady. But ultimately, I did it and eagerly awaited becoming acquainted with new people.
Being engaged in conversations with different people at the DEN’s conference, I was able to refine my ideas and improve my interpersonal skills. When the time came, I was invited to the stage to share my findings and exchange ideas with others. Performing in front of quite a large audience, I did not feel any muscle tension or nervousness, as I knew that I came here with a definite purpose to enlighten other scholars and bring more attention to the issue discussed in my research. On top of that, I faced my fears of public speaking and conquered them. This was the initial purpose of my ambition related to the conference, and I was elated at the fact that I overcame my fear and even succeeded in the presentation. Moreover, I became more knowledgeable in other areas as colleagues from the USA, Thailand, and Vietnam shed light on their research interests. As an attendee, I got the chance to socialize and build new connections with like-minded people.
At the end of the conference, everyone enjoyed mouth-watering Persian food and respectful conversations. I do believe that getting united and spreading knowledge promotes the idea of mutual contribution to the well-being of our world. By acknowledging everyone’s journey and being sincerely ready to learn from one another, people get a more illuminating glance at what else should be done to foster further teamwork and cooperation within different nations. I remain in owe to everyone who hosted and arranged this conference as we all have strengthened our presentation skills, got inspired by new ideas, and built a new research network. As future leaders, we broadened our horizons and identified several rooms for improvement. The world is our oyster, and it is in our hands to decide what world we are shaping for the future.
Nigina Esanova, Westminster International University Tashkent