Basking and Critically Analyzing My Experience at the Forbes 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi
Last month, , I had the privilege of attending the Forbes 30/50 Summit in Abu Dhabi, in celebration of International Women’s Day. I can’t even begin to express how surreal and inspiring this experience was, and how amazing it was to be surrounded by so many extraordinary women.
Day 1
After a long flight from JFK to Paris, and then Paris to Abu Dhabi, we arrived at one of the most beautiful hotels I’ve ever visited – immaculate from the rooms and lobby to the endless food options. It was nice to just enjoy a time of relaxation after the long journey, in preparation for the busy week ahead. The next day I had the opportunity to lead a small group at Cranleigh Abu Dhabi High School alongside Sheila Johnson (CEO of BET & America’s first black woman billionaire), her chief of staff Giardy Ritz, and Karen Jackson-Weaver (senior associate vice president of global faculty engagement and innovation advancement at NYU). It was a real privilege to share some of our experiences and inspire these girls to chase after their dreams. And honestly, it was such an empowering time for me too – Sheila and Karen are such powerful women with incredible achievements who I am hoping to continue to stay connected with for many years!
Day 2
The summit officially started on Wednesday with a cultural tour in the morning. We visited the Abrahamic Family Houses and the Grand Mosque, both breathtaking places of worship, and this was truly one of the highlights of my week culturally, a day I’ll never forget. This was followed by panels learning from amazing women like Sheila Johnson, Nigerian-American social media content creator Drea Okeke, and disability advocate Molly Burke. I genuinely had so many thoughts and considerations to take away after hearing from these ladies! The evening ended with restaurant hopping at Taste of Abu Dhabi where I enjoyed lots of delicious food, socializing and having a dance with stilt-walkers!
Day 3
The next day was dedicated to networking and mentoring. Throughout the week, we were making matches with people on the Brella networking app and I had several 1:1 meetings lined up for the morning’s mentoring conversations. I met amazing people like Pamela Winn (founder of RestoreHER), Milica Krstic (Founder of Safe Space), higher education administrators, lawyers, and other amazing powerhouse women. Afterward, we went to a special networking brunch hosted by Cisco and then went to the panels where we heard multiple talks from the likes of Sallie Krawcheck (CEO of Ellevest) and Suze Orman. Hearing from such inspirational people on important topics like personal finances was truly enlightening and I gained a lot of valuable insight. The rest of the day consisted of a beautiful desert party at Golden Hour, and I just can’t get over how amazing this was! There was just something so extremely special about being able to dance all evening, eat delicious foods, feed the beautiful camels, and enjoy the various forms of entertainment with such joyful, vibrant, like-minded women. The atmosphere was truly incredible! Highlight of the night was definitely meeting Maitreyi Radikrishnan and teaching her how to wobble!
Day 4
The last,but by no means the least, day was International Women’s Day! And what better way to celebrate it than being surrounded by some of the most legendary, trailblazing women in the world? After the most lavish brunch I have ever attended and a wonderful Black Girls Magic photo with all of the Black attendees, I was able to sit by the beach and bask in the glory of God’s creation, thanking Him for the time I’d had. It was a really nice opportunity to reflect on God’s goodness throughout the week.The day ended with the breathtaking International Women’s Day Gala where I was able to spend quality time with all the wonderful people I’d met during the week and celebrate all of the experiences we’d had. I also got to have a chat with Sophie Trudeau about my nonprofit - Barrier Breakers. As the evening drew to an end, I couldn’t believe the week was actually over. I’d relive it 10x over if I could and I look forward to continuing life with the wonderful friends I made along the way.
Concluding Thoughts
As a first-gen law student who has had to work multiple jobs throughout my life just to get by, finding myself in this space was very surreal and it felt extremely privileged. However, I couldn’t help but also observe throughout the week how inequitable many of the Forbes programs are. There were so few people at the summit who understood what it’s like not to come from money, to be the only one of your 10+ first cousins to have a degree, to struggle to pay rent some months. It certainly felt as though Forbes could be making much more of an effort to level out the playing field even if just with the people on the Forbes 30 Under 30 List. I have learned that while the Forbes community can give you access to these spaces, it is up to you to find yourself in the rooms and to use the rooms to change your life. I do think there is more that can be done to support Forbes U30 founders who have made the list not because of their privilege, their parents’ connections, or their venture-capital backing, but because they are making a difference in spite of their life circumstances. I personally know many Forbes U30 Founders who would have loved to be able to attend the summit but who weren’t able to financially make it a reality. Personally, my family (and my boyfriend’s family) all collectively pitched in to help me be able to attend this week because they understood how important the investment was to be able to be in these rooms. While at first, the wealth and privilege disparity at the summit aggravated me, , as the week went on, I began to realize that maybe that’s my contribution and superpower. I’m in spaces that most first-gen kids will never be in, but I can be an example to them that it IS possible to be in these spaces even if the odds feel like they’re against you when you do it with God. So to any young ladies out there coming from a background similar to mine who find yourselves reading this - Dream Big. Be honest and be authentic. Have respect for yourself and be passionate about what you want to do. You are worthy and capable of being in this environment one day too.
