Sergey Begishev

“I was casually checking my mailbox when I came across an email from the University Life Department about the 8th University Scholar Leadership Symposium or USLS in Bangkok. I decided to try my luck and was one of the lucky few chosen to represent our university.

“The event surpassed all my expectations. There were over a thousand delegates from close to 80 countries gathered at the United Nations Conference Centre to discuss humanitarian issues. I was simply overwhelmed by the experience, surrounded by so many bright minds from around the world, all sharing the same ideals and goals for a better world.

“I learned something new every day of the symposium, from listening to the very experienced speakers and volunteers who’ve been doing community work for years. I learned what it takes to be a strong, independent leader, and how important it is to serve those in need.

“There were some really inspirational individuals like Mariza from South Africa, who has a speech defect which made her the target of bullying when she was younger, but she overcame all that and is now researching how to create food full of amino acids for unprivileged kids in Mozambique to make sure they grow up healthy. There was also Antonio from Italy, who is almost blind since birth but is now a professor of music and computer programmer.

“The highlight was our visit to a local school. We spent time playing with kids, teaching them to make paper aeroplanes and some simple English, sharing meals with them, and just having a great time with them. I will never forget the wonderful smiles and special moments we had with the kids. I hope they’ll remember us for a long time to come too.” –Sergey Begishev (Turkmenistan), Petroleum Engineering student