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Areesha Bukhari 20 years old

It is with immense gratitude that I write about my experience of the flagship event of School of Leadership, Young Leaders’ Conference (YLC). I am in debt to TCS for providing me the opportunity to experience such an exhilarating conference, which annually compels youth to excel. A group of deserving young adults, 305 in number, had been assembled in Marriott Hall through a rigorous screening process. Of course, a few like me managed to slip into the conference. But in the end, I believe it was us who felt exceptionally humbled by our mates as a bonus alongside spiritual elevation that overwhelmed us all. From the minute I walked in till the bidding of goodbyes, the conference stood true to its purpose. Each day was assigned its own theme and keynote speaker. In a brief period of 6 days, our heads were dismantled and rewired. Sparks went off every time I felt the speakers’ wisdom, and what they said touched my heart. We were taught to cultivate distinction, encourage diversity and embrace one another the very first day. No words can portray the quality of speakers that attended the conference. Each one of them inspired us and I cannot do justice to them with mere words. I distinctly remember worrying about forgetting the numerous powerful things I had learnt in a day as I slipped into slumber on Marriott’s world-class comfortable bed. All the lessons learnt liberated us from stereotypes and cultural pressures. The fear of judgment was long gone. All one needs to execute their dream is sincerity, faith and determination. I could feel the urgency to put everything I learnt into action. I cautioned myself to never let this flame die out because unintentionally once in a while man stumbles upon the truth, picks himself up and walks around it. On the flight back home, I saw things differently. I felt the need to shed the old that hadn’t worked and will not. I found answers along with questions. The people at SoL aren’t time tellers, they are clock builders. They are transparent mentors that direct appreciation to the beauty of life. They groomed us to seek answers in history and exercise my own intellect in collaboration with my instincts. I was to phrase my questions into existence and set out on a lifelong journey to pursue growth of my character and my society. While I was several thousand feet in the air, a thought struck me. A new frame of mind had taken over. SoL had fulfilled its promise. I had been regenerated.