Best Representatives Meet-up!

Bryanna Ashong (Bryanston School, UK) is the Best Representative from the Green is the New Gold Forum (October 2021) and Sofia Garcia Torre (Colegio Los Sauces Torrelodones Spain) is the Best Representative from the Social Media for Global Good Forum (December 2021). Recently they met up and exchanged their thoughts on what's fun and what they think the future holds:

Sofia interviewed Bryanna the following questions:

Sofia: What is the highlight of your Green is the New Gold Forum experience? Bryanna: I loved making new friends, getting to know more points of view and learning about my teammates' countries. I had such a great experience and I enjoyed doing green research too!

Sofia: What is your favourite hobby?

Bryanna: I am keen on playing musical instruments, including violin and piano. I have been part of orchestras and I have taken part in very interesting clubs in school.

Sofia: What do you think is the most important thing to consider when working on projects (individually and with your team)?

Bryanna: With teams, I think that dedication is really important. I also think that it is important to match each member's skills with their responsibilities. Individually, I think that while it is important to manage time for research, it is also important to have fun, go out of our comfort zone, and enjoy what we do.

Sofia: How has the forum affected your personal life? Bryanna: I have gained confidence and I learned how to communicate better with people. I have improved my organizational and writing skills (with the Forum's five-point structure!) I also noticed that I collaborated more and better.

Sofia: Do you have any ideas on how you can help improve the world?

Bryanna: I want to organize a conference in school where students can freely talk about their concerns about the world and how they are combating them. I also want to help improve our natural environment. In the future, I want to travel and get involved in global issues.

Bryanna learned the following about Sofia:

Bryanna: What did you learn the most from your Social Media for Global Good Forum?

Sofia: I learnt so much about the value of being organised in order to achieve a great project. I developed skills in teamwork, collaboration and patience especially as my teammates are from all around the world with different time zones!

Bryanna: What are your future goals career-wise?

Sofia: I loved my assigned SDG (Reduced Inequality) in the forum so much that I want to continue to help reduce inequalities around the world. I am excited to help create a happier world whilst also tackling other SDG goals such as hunger and poverty.

Bryanna: How do you find balance in your life between wanting to achieve and relax?

Sofia: I find balance by being organized and utilizing my time so that I can work my hardest and still spend time with friends and family. It is important to factor in time for myself by doing self-care activities, which help me relax and recharge.

Bryanna: What hobbies do you take part in?

Sofia: I love reading all genres of books, but especially classical and adventure books. I am really committed to reading as I participate in reading clubs in school. We discuss interesting themes with my clubmates.

Bryanna: What advice would you give to the next round of people participating in the forum?

Sofia: For the Best Team Award, participants would want to focus on making their visual presentations engaging, clear, vibrant and full of key information. It is rewarding to work hard for your team. For the Best Representative Award, I advise participants to work hard consistently throughout the whole competition, stay active on the Facebook Forum page, take pride and enjoy what you are researching.

It is wonderful that Bryanna and Sofia made a new friend across the borders. They can't wait to work together in the upcoming internship together!