A trip of awaking new possibilities sandwiched with rich Catalan culture

Through the Aurora cooperation, we were privileged enough to take part in the 2024 Aurora student conference held at the University Rovira i Virgili in Tarragona, Spain. In addition to fostering collaborative research and education, Aurora aims to reduce obstacles to international travel, and foster significant international experiences both domestically and overseas.

Our goal has been to attend an international conference to network and gain knowledge. Based on Aurora’s diversity and values, we signed up to become ambassadors, and we got this wonderful opportunity to represent the University of Iceland back in February.

In our opinion, Tarragona was the ideal location because of its rich historical culture, which contributed significantly to the programme's success. Tarragona is known for having one of the highest concentrations of Roman ruins, with numerous sites open for tourists. For example, the Roman Amphitheatre, which hosted gladiatorial fights, the praetorium and circus for chariot racing, the Devil's Bridge - which the Romans built to bring water to the people, the Tarragona Cathedra - used for worship, and the Rambla, just to name a few. We were able to visit all these historic locations since we were attending this conference.

The conference offered a diverse programme that both inspired personal and professional growth, as well as cultural exchange. We learned about the Catalan culture and language, participated in cultural speed-dating, had a peer learning workshop on inclusion and diversity, and learned more about the Aurora cooperation.

One of the events that took place during the conference was a world café tackling four topics fundamental to Aurora's tenets. For example, participants talked about how Aurora could centre its operations around the needs of its students to empower them to make meaningful contributions, as well as how Aurora could better prepare its students to address global societal issues like climate change, among other things.

Another interesting topic discussed at the conference which will stay with us for the rest of our studies and careers, is “speaking up.” This is something most people find challenging in presenting their ideas to their lecturers or colleagues due to fear. The workshop leader discussed how to prepare and plan, have a clear structure, posture, time management, and how to use silence and non-verbal communication during a presentation. This work will shape our personal development as well as the promotion of Aurora activities.
We later got to experience Castells Human Tower rehearsal at Colla Jove Xiquets de Tarragona. Human Towers are a unique Catalan phenomenon, traditionally built during festivals, and getting to experience it in person was truly astounding.
The conference was well coordinated and offered both organised evening activities and periods of free time, allowing us to visit other places of interest to us. For instance, after the event, we visited Camp Nou Museum, the home of the Barcelona football club. We also got to visit the La Sagrada Familia an iconic church designed by the famous Catalan architect, Antoni Gaudi.

We would like to thank the organizers of this great initiative. We also want to thank the University of Iceland for the opportunity and financial support. In our combined experience we would summarize the 2024 Aurora Student Conference as a trip of awakening new possibilities sandwiched with rich Catalan culture.

Authors: Moses Osabutey and Musah Nsobila Mohammed, Aurora Student Ambassadors.

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• See upcoming Aurora opportunities here.