Aisha, OSUAE Student Ambassador and recipient of Action in the Operation Smile Community Award, describes her International Student Leadership Conference experience
I arrived on the 19th after a 14-hour flight to Atlanta, Georgia, accompanied by Kyla, the Operation Smile UAE student coordinator, and another student volunteer and fellow team leader, Farbod. It was a significant day as I turned 18 and was starting a new chapter in my life. Upon arrival, the Operation Smile ISLC staff members picked up Kyla and I, while Farbod’s grandfather, who lived in Atlanta, picked him up from the airport. We then headed to Emory University, where the 2024 ISLC was taking place.
At Emory, after registering and placing my luggage in my room, I met my roommate, Elinor, who had a bubbly personality just like me, and a beautiful smile. Shortly after, our mentee Carlos came over to greet me and then left us to chat. That day, due to a global tech outage, many people’s flights were delayed or cancelled, causing some team leaders to arrive later in the day. As the day progressed, we came up with team building activities such as awkward balls and wrote down different questions that we would like to ask our team members during our team huddles.
On Saturday the 20th and Sunday the 21st, we prepared to welcome this year’s participants by creating team posters, signs, lanyards with QR codes, assigning airport tasks, and decorating the dorms. During this time, Carlos and Mansi came up with some fun team bonding activities for us team leaders. One of my favorites was when Carlos challenged all 24 team leaders to fit into a tiny square in the shortest time possible. It was a fun activity, and after many tries, we completed the task in under a minute. On Sunday the 21st- whilst an evening event called Sip for smiles was being held- the UAE team met up at the main building: Kyla, Farbod, Nadine and Farida who came for surgical program training were all present with me as we all played different games and caught up with each other.
On Day 1, we experienced our busiest period as over 270 participants arrived and needed to be registered. By 5 PM, almost everyone had checked in, and I took the opportunity to gather with my co-team leader, Aria, for a group meeting to introduce ourselves to the team and build rapport. Following the meeting, we all enjoyed dinner and attended the Opening Ceremony where Aria and I introduced Juan Diego Vasquez, a member of the National assembly of Panama. He gave an amazing speech on the importance of believing in yourself and never giving up, he talked about his struggles that he faced before landing his current position and how he founded Vamos to empower the youth of Panama to take action.
Day 2 was when ISLC really began. We started off the day with breakfast and a team huddle before we headed to a keynote session held by Align Technology, our sponsor. During the session, we learned about the company’s history, including how it was founded by two Stanford college students, and how it has developed into what it is today. We also learned about its partnership with Operation Smile. After the keynote, we had a workshop held by Pavel Lau, where he talked about his life journey and how he held workshops in a dangerous part of his city to empower people in his local community, he also asked Farbod and I to drink blue milk in one of the activities as a way to convince those who don’t like milk to have a try. The workshop was all about being open to new experiences and new things, and never being afraid to take a leap of faith. After this, Maggie Doyne, an American philanthropist, shared her inspiring story of how she got to where she is today. Her words motivated me to continue making a difference in the world by sharing my experiences, resources, and opportunities to help those around me.
My favorite part of the day was the gap year presentation by Ava Hartman, a fellow Team leader. She talked about how the Madagascar surgical program she had been on affected her, and how it led her to take a gap year and start a campaign to raise water filters that provide clean water for up to 5 years for 100 people when taken care of effectively. Additionally, the session on AI and Humanity, hosted by Grishma Shah, opened my eyes to the power of AI in the world and the impact we have on AI based on the information we feed into the system.
On Day 3 of the conference, we had a busy schedule. Dr. Joseph K. Williams from the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta spoke about his experiences and work with children, specifically focusing on the different stages of surgery for children with cleft conditions. Following that, we had breakout sessions covering a range of topics including surgery, dental, speech, orthodontics and child life. I decided to attend the orthodontist session led by resident Richard Byrd whose superpower happened to be Grit. I learned about the crucial role of orthodontists in preparing children with cleft conditions for surgery by ensuring proper jaw alignment, providing feeding aids and many more.
To end the day, we had a “Shop for Smiles” event, where Farbod and I helped Kyla set up the UAE stalls. It was a lot of fun watching Farbod’s successful sales pitch, I still remember till this day the funny accent he put on as he said “10 dollars, 10 dollars.” During the event I bought a purse from China and Vietnam, along with multiple bracelets from other countries’ stalls to remember the joy I experienced at that moment.
After the breakout sessions, we headed back to the main campus where we had lunch and took part in a moving cleft connect session, where individuals born with cleft conditions in the USA shared their experiences. Their stories were particularly impactful, especially when compared to the struggles faced by those in countries without immediate access to healthcare. I felt grateful to have been entrusted with hearing their stories.
One particularly memorable session was hosted by plastic surgeon Dr. Magdalena Soldanska. She presented the benefits of being a plastic surgeon and its impact on children with cleft conditions. Her explanation of the Ralph Millard technique for complex cleft conditions and advice on the path to becoming a plastic surgeon greatly influenced me. After the session I had a chance to talk to her one on one and during this time she gave me valuable advice on how to become a successful plastic surgeon and use my talent to do bigger things with Operation Smile.
In the later part of the day, Carlos Pagoaga, the president of the Coca-Cola Foundation, shared insights into Coca-Cola’s history and its collaboration with Operation Smile to drive global positive change. He recommended trying the Beverly drink at the World of Coca-Cola the following day, stating it as his personal favorite. However, it turned out to be a playful misdirection, as we would later discover on day 4. The day concluded with a captivating talent show, during which William, an ISLC participant, impressed the audience with his exceptional drumming skills and rightfully earned the top position. To close the event, I and the other Team Leaders danced to the uplifting chorus of “We’re All in This Together” from the musical “High School Musical.”
On Day 4, we left the campus to visit the Georgia Aquarium and the World of Coca-Cola. Aria and I, as leaders of team Pathfinders, oversaw a group of about 24 individuals, including four chaperones, four assistant Team leaders, Logan, Megan, Makhala, and Jill, who supported us greatly in managing the team off and on campus. Loading everyone onto the bus went smoothly as Aria and I coordinated our efforts. I remember how reserved and hesitant the kids were on the first day, but by Day 4, they had become lively and engaged.
During the bus ride to the aquarium, I fell asleep because I had gone to bed at midnight after attending a team leader meeting, which I always looked forward to at the end of each day once all the participants had gone to bed. While I was asleep on the bus, Brad, a fellow team leader, took a photo of me drooling, which we all found hilarious.
At the aquarium, we enjoyed a dolphin and seal show and I ended up getting splashed while seated in the splash zone. After that, I made some purchases at the gift shop and tackled a few daily challenges with my teammates. We then had some delicious pizza outdoors as a team, which provided a great opportunity to connect with the kids. Following that, we explored the World of Coca-Cola, capturing memories with photos and having a great time together. I had the chance to bond with other team leaders, particularly getting to know Adam, Mannat, Elinor, and an intern named Matt. Our time together was incredibly enjoyable. I enjoyed trying the different types of drinks and of course I tried Beverly and I must say it was not my cup of tea, but I did manage to get a favorite coca-cola flavor which was Cream Soda. Upon returning to campus, we organized a laid-back party in the multipurpose room, with the help of Aria, Aidan, Marla, and a few other team leaders who assisted with the decorations and balloons.
On Day 5, after breakfast, we had an eventful team huddle session. We painted and decorated our team banner and came up with a chant: “Path, Path, Pathfinders we will always find our path, PATHFINDERS”. Megan, Jill, and Logan did an amazing job with the chant’s choreography, whilst Makhala helped Sofia decorate the banner. Then, we headed to the multipurpose hall for an interactive session hosted by representatives from Johnson & Johnson. I had a chance to chat with Angela Li and had an amazing conversation with her about life, how life has its ups and downs and her history with J&J.
Later on, I left for an interview session with Bethany and Juanchi from the media team. After the interview, I attended an Asia regional session led by Matt, an intern at Operation Smile. At the session we talked about ways to improve the work we do for Operation Smile in Asia. As someone who will be starting medical school this fall in Malaysia, the session really helped me understand how to start a club and the different things that can be done to raise funds for Operation Smile. Shortly after, Johnson and Johnson hosted a workshop on dermabond, needles and surgical sutures. I particularly enjoyed this as we got to learn how sutures and needles are made, and we also got to use the sutures and become surgeons for a while as we practiced the way stitches are done. After this, we had another workshop by Pavel Lau, where we did a trust fall activity, talked about living in the moment and how our emotions affect us. To end the night, we had a fitness and philanthropy event at the Rec center to show how sports can be used in the context of Operation Smile.
The last day was emotional as I had to say goodbye to all the amazing people I had met. We started the day with team banners and chants, followed by team games and an emotional workshop. Each of us received colored powder and necklaces with different meanings. I was very touched when many of my team members and friends gave me purple necklaces to show that I was their role model. Many of my team members informed me that I was the best team leader they could have ever asked for and because of me they would love to come to ISLC 2025. This made me emotional, and I started crying. I couldn’t count with my fingers the number of times I burst into tears crying because of the heartwarming messages from everyone. After this we all got ready to attend an under the sea themed final party, where we all had sea inspired outfits. On this night I received an award for Action in the Operation Smile community, for my work in a recent surgical program in Abu Dhabi. This award showed me that I need to keep pushing and that this is just the beginning of a lifelong journey and commitment to Operation Smile.
The next day when all the participants had left, all the staff members and team leaders gathered for a debrief session and to write letters to each other. As my Uber arrived, I said my goodbyes and teared up as I didn’t want it all to end. We all cried as we hugged each other and wished each other goodbye. Last but not least, ISLC 2024 has taught me to see the good in things, to take my time when making decisions, to live in the present, to always be positive and never dwell on the negative things as Carlos and Mansi would always say “Focus on those that are here for the right reasons”.
In closing, I’d like to express my deep appreciation for all of you. You have truly become my second family, providing warmth and inclusion unlike any other. Your vibrant and spontaneous personalities never fail to lift my spirits. I genuinely love each and every one of you to the moon and back! Thank you for making my first ISLC experience truly remarkable and unforgettable. I eagerly look forward to our next meeting. Until then, take care!
