Nelson Mandela, a fair few Monarchs and Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso are some of the people who walked the steps I walked tonight. Although I did not stand centre stage and deliver a timeless, thought-provoking and world-altering speech, I did have the honour of representing Scribble Ink as I networked with leading academic, technological and entrepreneurial figures of the UK!
As an alumni member, The University of Salford graced me with an invite to one of their most prestigious conferences. After learning about Scribble Ink as a social enterprise, coupled with my passion for creativity and education, they saw an opportunity to unite for the purposes of exploring the role of education in the skills economy— creativity in education and its application in real world context.
I shared business cards, shook hands with people who have job titles as long as a poetic stanza, listened to a number of interesting ideas, drank white wine and sampled an endless provision of canapés (with every bite I wondered if they'd served a similar selection of food fusions to Mandela...don't laugh! Chocolate truffles were big in the 90s).
There were a few highlights dotted throughout the evening, but for me, the biggest and most sentimental was walking into the reception area and seeing a list of name badges for the likes of leading technology, engineering and law firm representatives. And as I searched for my name, which I assumed would be inconspicuously tucked away in the corner nearest to the bin, I discovered that the Scribble Ink Story Consultancy badge was perched at the top of the table! I played it cool (well, cool enough for someone as out there as me), but I couldn't help smiling as I thought, 'this could be the start of another something.'
I'd like to thank Gareth Petit and his team of Salford Alumni staff for choosing me to represent the thousands of graduates and postgraduates of what is clearly, one of the most creative and innovative universities we'll ever know.