Background
The Conference on World Affairs (CWA) is an annual conference that the University of Colorado (CU) Boulder hosts, bringing together experts from around the world with expertise in various fields, as well as discussing today’s global issues. It started in 1948, so this year was the CWA’s 77th anniversary.
Many months go into preparing for this conference in a single week in April. Students, staff, community members, and other volunteers work together to track down speakers who would be a good fit to speak at the conference and send them invitations. If they accept, we would then brainstorm panel topics and see where speakers would fit best. This happens with every committee. This year, I was on the human condition committee. According to the CWA, the human condition is “what it means to be human.”
This year, speakers are participating in forums on the following topics (based on committees):
- Science and Technology
- International Affairs
- Human Condition
- Business
- Arts
- Politics and Media
Most panels take place in CU’s University Memorial Center (UMC), but there were others at Boulder High School, and other fun activities such as a tour of CU’s art museum.
Monday, april 7
The conference officially started with this year’s renowned keynote speaker, Cynthia Erivo, an actress, singer, songwriter and producer. She is also a winner and/or nominee of the Oscar, Grammy, Emmy and Tony Awards. I did not know much about her at first, but when I saw her perform as Elphaba in the movie Wicked over winter break, I knew that she was one of the most talented actresses I have ever seen. The school was in an uproar when we learned Erivo was coming. A few weeks before, tickets went live online and were all sold out within a few hours!
After picking up my name tag for the conference, I weaved my way through the crowd at CU’s Macky Auditorium and found a seat. We first started with some opening remarks from the CWA Program Board Student Chair, Vara Reom. Then, Erivo appeared from behind the stage, and that is when the audience erupted in cheering and clapping. And they should! I, and the members in the audience, could not believe we were seeing the Cynthia Erivo with our own eyes. She gracefully took a seat opposite Stefanie K. Johnson, the director of CU’s Center for Leadership, and described her journey of building her way up in the entertainment industry. What stood out the most to me was what she said about lead roles in the entertainment industry. She told us that leads should not focus on just themselves, but also look out for how others around them may be feeling. I believe this can be applied to many aspects of life when you have to be a leader!
Tuesday, april 8
Walking past Norlin Quad, I noticed various flags from around the world were lined up along the sidewalk that leads to the Macky Auditorium. I was thrilled when I saw my favorite one, Egypt! A man passing by was really nice and held up the flag while I took the photo. Here’s a photo of all the flags together:
As a CWA student staff member, I had two main roles. The first was to be a student ambassador. I was paired with a CWA speaker focusing on human condition topics. My other role was to be a panel producer. My speaker was Wakanyi Hoffman, an author, scholar and global spokesperson researching Indigenous African communities. We had already connected over email before the conference started, but I was hoping to see her in person. I did not see her yesterday, so I was hoping I could see her today.
At 5 p.m., all CWA staff and speakers had to meet by the flags on Norlin Quad for an annual CWA photo. When I saw a sea of people, I was wondering if I could spot Hoffman. Sure enough, I did! When I introduced myself to her, she gave me the biggest hug. Instantly, I knew she was a nice person. We bonded over our shared roots in Africa. I am Egyptian, while Hoffman is Kenyan. Meanwhile, Hoffman introduced me to another speaker, Rania Elmalky, who is also Egyptian. She is a journalism professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.
An hour later, we made our way to the Moxy Hotel, where we would have our first reception dinner. I met up with some friends and we talked about our experiences with the conference so far. I ended up sitting with Hoffman at a table. Other people at this table included Elmalky and Wisdom O. Cole, the Senior National Director of Advocacy at the NAACP.
Then, Hannah Wood, the program director at the CWA, gave a speech about her journey with CWA, and how she never expected that she would love working here in Boulder. Overall, it was an awesome night, and everyone was happy!
Wednesday, april 9
Today, I, along with two other CWA staff, would be producing a panel called Embracing Joy: Harnessing Technology and Positivity in Daily Life. The speakers at this event were Hoffman, Seanna Leath, Laura Marciano and Luke Springer. The moderator was Lee Newman, a professor at the University of Colorado Anschutz. My role as a producer was to hand out index cards and pencils for people to write questions. Then I would hand them to Newman.
I enjoyed this panel. It was very engaging from all the speakers. I loved hearing what everyone had to say! This panel was all about finding the little moments that bring you joy. For example, Hoffman lives in the Netherlands. A lot of times, it is cloudy. However, Hoffman told us that she remains optimistic because she knew that the sun would be coming out at some point. In our world, this is a reminder that whenever times seem to be average, we should look for aspects of these moments that make these times great instead of just average.
Afterwards, hours later, it was time for the speaker dinner at the Dark Horse bar. This was my first time going, and I heard nothing but great remarks about this place. Everyone I spoke to was right, because it was awesome! After talking with various people, I introduced myself to Springer and complimented him on his portion in the panel, and he was a nice person to talk with. After getting some scrumptious food, I headed home.
thursday, april 10
I produced another panel in the morning, called X-pocalypse: The Fragility of Digital Public Spaces. The speakers were Chris Moody, John Ploumitsakos and Amir Shevat. I had the same role as yesterday, of giving people notecards to write questions, and then handing them to the moderator, Matt Duncan. Duncan is the Brand Listening Program Director at CU Boulder’s Strategic Relations and Communications program.
At this panel, I remember the speakers were talking about how AI has an impact on business. This really resonated with me because I think AI blurs the line between what is real and what is not, to a point where it becomes deceiving.
There was a Boulder Bookstore stand selling books written by CWA authors right outside the UMC ballrooms. There were several Wicked-themed books because of Erivo’s portrayal of Elphaba. So, after the panel, I decided to buy Wicked (book one). I have not read it yet, but I have a feeling it’s going to be good!
After class, I met Hoffman at the UMC because I had to walk her to Sewall Hall for a classroom visit. She would be a guest speaker in Dr. Laura DeLuca’s class, discussing Indigenous African cultures. Dr. DeLuca is a professor who teaches in Sewall’s Stories and Societies Residential Academic Program (RAP). When we spotted her, she was dressed on theme for the class, wearing a patterned dress. I could not stay for long, but I remembered that Hoffman and Dr. DeLuca were going to move the class outside (the weather was perfect)!
The last CWA event I attended was the final reception dinner at the Moxy Hotel. Here, I met more speakers, such as Danielle Dick, a professor at Rutgers University researching substance use. I got to meet some CWA volunteers, other student staff and I also saw one of my old professors. Finally, I got to see Elmalky and Hoffman again. Hoffman had to fly out to the Netherlands the following day, and I will miss her because she is truly a warm, interesting person.
final thoughts
Even though the conference is over, you can access our schedule here. This was the first year I was truly involved in the conference. I truly enjoyed every single moment of it! I now have new perspectives on various global topics, made new LinkedIn connections, but most importantly, had fun bonding with others. I cannot wait to be even more involved next year!