A few students of GEMS Modern Academy attended the Emirates Lit Fest held on the 3rd of February. The panel at Hilton (which is where it took place) consisted of Captain Dr Abdulla Bin Ahmad AlShaikh, the Head of the Diplomatic and Consular Affairs at Dubai Police and the President of the Dubai Youth Council for the Federal Youth Authority; Miss Isobel Abulhoul, the founder of Magrudy’s, a bookshop chain; the founder of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, HE Saeed Al Nazari, the Director General of the Federal Youth Authority, and the Chief Strategy Officer at the Arab Youth Center; and lastly Dr. Tiffany Delport, the Co-CEO of Environmental Operations and Educational Partnerships – MENA, Co-Founder of The Possibilities Project: Eco Edition and Global Ambassador One Billion Tree-Planting Initiative.
It was a session where children and adults from across Dubai got insights into various career paths. I was one of the 9 students who represented our school at this Festival.
The session, besides being informative, was also extremely engaging. It got the gears of my mind working, and it got me thinking of how many lost opportunities I could have used to the fullest. This session was extremely insightful in all aspects – risk taking, passion for work, seizing opportunities, knowing that it is never too late to have a change of heart – and of course, the intuitive stories of the esteemed panelists. Being a person who hasn’t consolidated a career path, this session showed me that it was fine, and that time would take its course (of course, backed by my hard work), and I would know soon enough – if I invested my time in all the right places.
– Misha Raval, 9H