HPAIR 2021- Delegate Experience
Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR) was my first international conference. This article is intended to serve as a walkthrough of the entire programme for those interested in HPAIR and to anyone who is considering applying to HPAIR in the future. When I wanted to apply for the conference, I could not find many resources to read up about the conference with respect to the delegate experience, application help from the past delegates, etc.
So if you need any more information apart from this article, do let me know here.
HPAIR 2021 was a unique event and truly one of its kind in terms of the way it was hosted. The pandemic has put on us restrictions on traveling but that did not stop the organizers from hosting it this year. HPAIR 2021 was held online via the online event hosting platform Run the World from 15th to 19th of January.
The application process for the virtual 2021 Harvard conference consisted of the usual resume and essay submissions. The first step was to submit one’s resume and essay for admission into the conference. There was a second essay to be submitted once you were admitted for the scholarship application. The entry fees for the Gold tier and the Delegate Tier were $175 and $50 respectively (the latter would be covered by the scholarship if you managed to get one).
I registered in the Delegate Tier post-admission.
I had two main objectives behind registering for the conference:
- To be a part of a global community that draws energy and inspiration from its members
- To gain some perspectives on careers outside of/complimentary to engineering
After four days of attending the conference, I can say with complete confidence that I have been able to tick these off my list.
You can always check out the programme agenda and the list of speakers at www.hpair.org.
But in this article, I am going to list out a few points that stood out for me.
The “new normal” in the conference space
HPAIR was held on the online event hosting platform called Run The World. Its unique UI and functionalities kept the audience engaged and made it easy for the users to navigate through various events that sometimes happened at the same time.
Now, this was the first time that I experienced mixers of any kind, let alone virtual ones.
Run the World’s algorithm matches you with another delegate who has checked in during the same time window and lets you have a 1:1 conversation for 5 minutes.
I had the chance to have meaningful conversations with over 40 people through the course of 4 mixers spread across the three days of the conference.
Diverse Stories
Be it the keynote speakers, the panelists or the delegates, everyone had a unique story- A fearless chase of dreams.
- Leadership without borders — Mr. Hari Nair, Vice President, Corporate R&D, Proctor and Gamble
As a leader who has worked across functions in several countries, Hari’s mantra of leadership beyond borders was one of my top finds at HPAIR. Here were my key takeaways from his riveting session:
- Listen more, talk less
- Find common ground
- Focus on the job to be done to spot opportunities
- Deliver wins
- Always focus on mindsets
- Xiaoyin Qu- Keeping it one 100 percent real and honest
Xiaoyin Qu served as a senior product manager at Facebook and Instagram before pursuing her MBA at Stanford. Her Stanford journey didn’t last long as life had other amazing things planned out for her. This Stanford dropout went ahead to become the CEO of Run the World. She was brimming with candor and was a true embodiment of cutting to the chase.
Key takeaways from her story:
- Self-belief
- Resetting your expectations while starting up
- The power of a Growth mindset
Now for this particular case, she gave us an example that bowled me over completely.
Think of two cases:
X and you are working on the same project. Both of you are putting in the same effort but X seems to be more successful.
Case 1:
“X and I do the same things but it is so unfair that I am not as successful as X.”
Case 2:
“What extra effort do I need to put in (given my natural circumstances) so that I can get there?”
Do you see where she was going with this?
Case 1 and Case 2 are simply two approaches you can take for any scenario. Case 2 is what is popularly known today as the growth mindset. Having a growth mindset helps you not only in starting up or in running a business. It is a gradual process to redefine your thinking and eventually, your life. When she said that, it hit me like a truck. Suddenly all your self-pity is replaced by hope and a desire to strive for success.
- Powerful women who are on their way to change the world as we know it
It wasn’t just Xiaoyin Qu. HPAIR gave me an opportunity to watch and learn from amazing women like Bandana Tewari who explained how fashion and clothing can be symbols of societies and reforms.
As a leader who has served in multiple industries like BioTech, FinTech, etc., Lesly Goh, the former CTO of the World Bank group talked about agriculture as a field to focus on in this age of wide digital transformation.
- Multilateralism to tackle world problems
Both the keynote from Thailand’s former Prime Minister Mr. Abhisit Vejjajiva and the panel on climate change spoke at length about how countries must not just come together for collaborative action but ensure sustained implementation of common goals.
- Salary Negotiation Hacks by Niya Dragiva, CEO of Candor
As a fresher myself, I know that the talk around salary and negotiation is one of the hardest to start in an interview. If you don’t get the flow right, you might even risk your chances of getting into that dream job. Niya’s pointers on negotiation hit the nail right on the head and helped us see the effect of standing up for ourselves and the importance of self-advocacy.
- Adam Cheyer’s story of determination
Adam’s brainchild Siri spearheaded an era of virtual assistants throughout the world. Cortana, Alexa and Google assistant all followed suit after flagbearer Siri. To me, Adam’s story was that of determination. While he wanted to make it open to public developers, Apple wanted to take a more “cards to the chest” approach for Siri. He decided to move out of Apple when his goals for Siri did not match those of the corporation. From there, Adam went on to kickstart a host of other companies in the same domain. To him, it was the idea of making a digital service with so much potential accessible to the public that mattered the most. There was no stopping him after that.
- Brian Wong- Business insights - EQ+IQ+LQ
Most of us are familiar with EQ(emotional Quotient) and IQ(Intelligence Quotient).
Brian Wong, the CEO of Radii and former Group Vice President at Alibaba, brought to the table another quotient essential to run businesses - the LQ(Love Quotient). Something to ponder upon, don't you think?
Moreover, it was just heartwarming and refreshing to watch two childhood friends, Mr. Wong and Dr. Mark Wu(the host) reconnect and share their life experiences on the platform.
Trivia Night and iNight
What is a conference without some fun sessions to just sit back and enjoy?
HPAIR had us covered with two Trivia nights (Quizzes based on Trivia) and an iNight where delegates from all over the world showcased their talents online.
While all of us were experiencing these events from our homes, they sure did bring us closer and made us long for the physical conferences of old.
Book Recommendations
- Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein
- Choosing College: How to Make Better Learning Decisions Throughout Your Life by Michael B Horn and Bob Moesta
- Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
- Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World by Marco Iansiti and Karim R Lakhani
These are some of the book recommendations from the speakers at HPAIR. I have attached the links for these books so it is easier for you to check them out and they are not meant to promote them.
Final Note -
- HPAIR is an event that will definitely broaden your horizons. If you manage to get a scholarship, it is a jackpot.
- For those who wish to pursue fields like international relations, culture, leadership and business actively, I would say that HPAIR is a great starting point in your career and a stellar experience on your profile.
