I am a student from City & Islington College located in Holloway. I study BTEC Business level 3, and I am currently at the end of my second year. My experience on May 13 at the DEN conference was completely different from anything I’d ever had before: having the chance to do a PowerPoint presentation in front of university students with my group.
Throughout the day, I listened to various engaging presentations about “Power and Contestations in Global Worlds: Identities, Conflicts, and Developmental Challenges.” I learned from attending the conference and the professionalism of the University of Westminster students and staff. I got the opportunity to see every individual pitch their presentation and saw in their expressions that they understood what they were doing and were well-versed in their subject. What surprised me was that you could see they were speaking from the heart.
That day enabled me to further improve my skills and knowledge to a level I never imagined achieving. On an actual day, seeing those students present with confidence in themselves was a huge challenge for my teammates and me to show them our positive characteristics.
During the lunch break, before my group and I headed to the scenario, numerous Uni students approached and talked to us to try to calm our fears. I recall one of them telling us, “Please make yourself comfortable and just have fun”, and that helped because it boosted our self-esteem and took care of us, so we lost our fear. All the speakers were excellent and treasured by us, telling us about their first time in a similar scenario and how frightened they were speaking in front of others. Other students wanted to ease our fears by asking general questions like were we going to university, the degree we wanted to pursue, our plans and so on. Meanwhile, they shared with us their experiences as University of Westminster students.
Overall, the experience of attending the DEN conference opened my eyes, and I can now see all of the expertise I have acquired throughout the conference. I am very fortunate to have been given this chance, and the students were kind to my teammates and me. Stepping in and stepping out of my comfort zone was beneficial to me. I want to become important, like those universities studying at the University of Westminster.
Pauline Michelle Montano, Business Study Student, Capital City College Group, London.