Of first times, of dreams coming true and of ticking off bucket lists

Beatrice Karimi, the student from Kenya who received the ESOMAR Foundation scholarship sponsored by WIRe, was invited by the ESOMAR Foundation to join the group of student-helpers during the recent ESOMAR Congress held in Athens on 8-11 September. Read about Beatrice’s write-up of her Congress experience

1:20 am 7th September, I boarded a plane to Europe, I cried a little as I remembered ‘’little me” dream of stepping to Europe was a few hours to becoming a reality. 15 mins before this I was on a call with my mum and my friend, my friend told me to go become the GIANT I have always wanted to be, and my mum said “God bless everyone who has been part of my scholarship journey”

This journey was so emotional, and it felt like I was going to meet my parents for the first time. I was finally going to meet people who really matter to me, people who love me deeply and people who saw my potential just from my certificates. I always looked forward to the day I will finally meet the ESOMAR and WIRe team and get to hug them and say it from my mouth how grateful I am everyday for choosing to love me, invest in me and making my dreams come true.

Lately my scholarship journey has made me believe in miracles.

What a nice way of starting my 2nd year of masters! This opportunity gave me a platform to meet professionals and come across ideas that are crucial in market research and those that will guide me while reflecting joining the market research space.

ESOMAR congress was not at all my usual type of conferences I have attended before, the recognition given to students and their power of believing in mentorship for young people gave a lot of hope for the growth of market research, the incredible evening hang outs and the exquisite all which dinner by the beach was such an incredible opportunity to let loose while at the same time get to interact with professionals who have experience of the market. I enjoyed every bit of the congress; from meeting the whole ESOMAR team, the WIRe team and all other people from the industry that I only interact with on LinkedIn.

This trips to Athens exposed me to the diversity of the industry, I was able to interact closely with professionals and boosted my knowledge as I navigate a career in market research.

What an experience!!unforgettable and worth a million words. I made connections, learnt a lot and came out fully challenged at how Market Research has potential.

I say a billion thank you(s) and I promise to make you proud.

Beatrice Karimi is pursuing a Master in Development Studies (MA Development Studies) at the University of Nairobi, Kenya. Beatrice is the recipient of a scholarship funded through a partnership with Women in Research (WIRe).

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