Article by Rucha Benare (Bioengineering, 2021 Scholars)
Imagine this. Starry night, little earthen lamps called “diyas” shimmering across a terrace, the warmth of vanilla incense hugging you, and sitting atop a long wooden table is a variety of delicacies catering to every kind of taste bud you could imagine. So is the general setting of Diwali, a famous Indian festival known to celebrate the spiritual victory of lightness over darkness, of knowledge over ignorance.
Such a recollection of an amalgamation of experiences is my attempt to capture what my experience of Laidlaw has been so far, and especially during our first session for the scholars of 2021, which was the online induction.
The amazing trio of supervisors Joel, Ann, and Orla made us feel right at home from the first moment, the ice-breaker session. I was thrilled to meet such a stellar group of minds that shimmer distinctly for their strong research goals and memorable fun facts (shout out to a certain someone who can eat 8 slices of toast in one sitting!)
Next, we were introduced to the variety of duties and exciting challenges that we would be conquering during our long journey as the 2021 family. This included diligently working and producing our research outputs, partaking in outreach and volunteering activities, constantly assessing our own leadership styles, and so on.
Last but not the least, we were assured that we will be supported with an invaluable and very generous inventory needed for our steep character development. This consisted of leadership workshops, personal coaching, skills sessions, networking opportunities; the list is endless.
Such a riveting induction has certainly marked the beginning of our journey of gaining knowledge and to be better leaders. Quite an exciting one!
Image attribution: http://www.gettyimages.com
Laidlaw Scholars at Trinity 