Have you ever seen tears in the eyes of dozens of people at the end of a conference? At a technical one? At a technical university? Organized by students? With the standing ovations for the team? I didn't, till yesterday… 💪
Really, it wasn't easy for them to stop their emotions (both girls and boys!). 7 months of preparations, Corona everywhere, now omicron, but! Everything worked with no issues. In the evening, everyone was happy and crying. Thankfully, I wasn't on the stage at the moment.
And how did that happen?
Last summer, Sarah (one of the students) contacted me(yes, here on LinkedIn) asking if I wouldn't attend as a speaker at their conference and say something about digital twins and Industry 4.0. Well, why not? Corona stopped traveling and all the stuff in the end, but not this young team!
Her successor Sirine (she is 21 and doing two master's degrees at once) came to me this summer again and… So now, I'm sitting in the hotel, writing this post, having my head full of impressions.
First, 50% of all students at a technical university are girls. Girls are studying AI, mechatronics, embedded systems, etc. It's correct that we talk about inequality in Europe. Also, the most crucial minister in Tunisia is a woman. We have a lot to learn.
Secondly, this young team has organized 170 students to do all the stuff for 1 500 students. Don't forget, Sirine is 21! So say, they did it alone, just with soft nudging by the professors. Just gentle nudging, you didn't see them until the event.
And the last impression is that they do it for a better future, not for money or bigger egos. Don't mind that they are not dealing with the brain drain! No, everyone wants to have an internship outside the country to get better, but for a higher purpose. I think we will hear a lot about them in the future.
