Exporttag, LSB, Counseloring, and Cows
Letter? I Hardly Know Her! - July/August/September 2023
Welcome, WELCOME to Letter? I Hardly Know Her! I’m Apoorva (the her in question), an 18 y/o researcher, keynote speaker, artist, writer, and advocate for youth and gender minorities in STEAM. This newsletter is a means for me to keep track of my personal & professional growth, and to share all the good stuff I’m working on! First-timers: it’s great to meet you, I’m so glad you’re here! For my regular hardly-knowers, here’s your promised, extra special greeting: welcome you cool breeze—you’re always welcomed after a hot summer day.
If you too want an extra greeting, you better subscribe:
As a heads up, I publish newsletters on each MONTH/MONTH, i.e. 1/1, 2/2, 3/3, … , 12/12. Is it the most efficient system? Frankly, no. But is it the most funky fresh? Absolutely it is.
Hello, hello Hardly-Knowers! It’s been a while (sorry!), but what a summer it’s been. I hope your summer was restful, not too hot, and full of joy. Let’s get right into it!
Speaker at Austrian Export Day 2023 in Vienna
I never thought I’d give a talk in a parking garage - and now I have!
The creativity that went into designing the Curve Stage at Austrian Export Day 2023 - transforming a normal parking garage into a captivating and beautiful stage - represents the innovative and unconventional spirit of Exporttag, where leading minds spoke about disruption, the limits of nature & humanity, and the digital age.
In June at Exporttag, it was so much fun for me to share Gen Z’s perspective on the present challenges, what corporations and leaders need to know about our generation, and our vision of the future and global innovation with Founder Moritz Lechner, Moderator Sophie Kaitlin Drescher, and Streamer Reneé Veyla.
Afterwards, I had the pleasure of doing a Meet & Greet with some incredibly thoughtful students & aspiring entrepreneurs from Junior Achievement Austria. We had an interesting & thought-provoking discussion about the ethics of AI, social media, and information spread in this age, as they brought a perspective that only our generation could bring.
Along with Exporttag, it was an honor being part of the BOLD COMMUNITY’s side program, an initiative by the Austrian government to connect innovators and thought leaders all over the world to tackle the most pressing problems and create a brighter future. From breakfast on the Ferris Wheel and a tour of the Museumsquartier to a historic tram ride and gorgeous rooftoop views, all the events were beautifully organized with the best company you could ask for. I even got my own personalized perfume on the spot from Algorithmic Perfumery, designed by Frederik Duerinck!
Huge thank you to Michael Otter, Harald Mahrer, the incredible BOLD Team -Réka, Marina, Verena, Stephanie, Benjamin - and the speakers & leaders part of the community - Behshad Behzadi, Dr. Anita Sengupta, Amarit Charoenphan, Mark Fingerhuth, Guillermo Söhnlein, Barbara BELVISI, David Batstone, Oren Aharon, Frederik Duerinck, and more.
Until we meet again, BOLD minds! Thank you for the most amazing time in Vienna.
Keynote Speaker with London Speaker Bureau
Incredibly excited to share that I’ve partnered with the London Speaker Bureau as a keynote speaker!
With 18 offices across Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and North America, LSB is the largest international network of speakers and thought leaders in the world. Employing a global perspective & approach is crucial when we talk about the future, whether it’s in technology, public policy, health care, or sustainability, so I can’t wait to see where this partnership takes me.
Massive thank you to Alexis Leseigneur for making this happen and for your kindness and passion for connecting speakers & audiences to navigate how quickly our world is changing.
If you’re looking for a keynote for the future of work, Gen Z, ethical AI, STEM innovation, DEI, or more, feel free to check out my speaker profile & reach out here.
I also recently did an interview with LSB about these same topics, which you can check out below!
Looking forward to all that lies ahead with LSB!
Counselor at RSI 2023
Like I mentioned in a previous newsletter, I returned to the Research Science Institute (RSI) this summer, held by Center for Excellence in Education and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as a counselor!!
Deciding to be counselor this year was one of the best decisions I've ever made, I had such an amazing 6 weeks supporting a new cohort of Rickoids with some of my favorite people as fellow counselors.
This is my adorable counselor group, the Apoorcas (aka the Pod), named after my favorite animal.
And some of the counselor team (feat the Charles River)!
Masason 7th Generation Meet & Greet
The Masason Foundation, a scholarship and community to support youth with high aspirations, recently held a networking event for the newly certified 7th generation members! They invited me as one of the senior foundation members to talk about our experience being in the Foundation community, areas of expertise, and current goals. Huge thank you to the Foundation for hosting this, it was so great to meet the new members!
The Fun, the Fresh, & the Funky
Summer is the absolute best time to get up to some fun, fresh, & funky things.
Before going to the conference in Vienna, my mom and I went on a lil trip around to France and Switzerland! We took many, many photos, but here are a few.
The obligatory tourist photos in Paris:
The beautiful Rhine Falls near Zurich!
The Swiss National Museum (the best museum I’ve ever been to)!
Instead of bombarding you with pictures from RSI, you can check out our counselor group’s Instagram account that documented our adventures: the @apoorcas!
Finally, some cute cows that my sister and I visit a little too often:
Coming up next on Keeping Up With (K)Apoorva…
What’s next after the wondrous time that is senior summer?
Stanford starts!
I’m heading to Stanford in just a few days for a pre-orientation camping trip before it all kicks off! I can’t wait to get started. I’ll be sure to keep you updated!
GLAM In-person Event with eBay
Team GLAM is super excited to have another in-person event coming up in November! We’re partnering with Ebay to host this two-day event. The prep is underway!
Gems in STEM: Let’s Mosey On Down Mobius St.
As always, there will be more articles published for my column on Medium, and the next one will be about the fun properties of the Mobius strip! Make sure to follow me on Medium to stay updated.
Launching a tech policy publication
Working on it! Details coming soon. <3
A Quarter for Your Quote?
“It's essential to work on something you're deeply interested in. Interest will drive you to work harder than mere diligence ever could.”
Paul Graham
(A good reminder for me as I start college.)
Alrighty, that’s it from me, Hardly-Knowers! Thanks for sticking around, I can’t wait to see you again in October and tell you all about my first month of college. Wishing you a wonderful start to spooky season!
Sincerely,
Her (Apoorva)
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Feel free to contact me about speaker events, comments, and anything else at apoorvapanidapu@gmail.com! You can also connect with me on LinkedIn, follow me on Medium, and check out my art gallery, personal website, or Instagram.
Now that you are ready to delete “hardly” from Letter? I Hardly Know Her!, you can share this so that my publication name doesn’t become irrelevant & obsolete! <3