The AWARE Panel

I had an inspiring and encouraging talk with Lev, whospeaks up about how does his autoimmune disease, which is Crohns disease has been shown throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and how being a high risk and vulnerable individual has affected him and his family.

Lev is a writer and podcaster which his voice-over work ranges from character pieces, advertising and corporate voice overs to podcasting, ASMR and radio play. He has recently written content and articles for WrestleTalk Magazine, Ultimate Quality Content and wrestling website TheIndyCorner. He has also done research work for popular online video podcast series OSW Review.

I had a good conversation with Victor, who talks about the history of British Rock Music talking about the Beatles, The Whos and more and how young people can be influenced by the genres and also the pros and cons of listening to rock music.

Victor is a freelance writer, researcher and musician. He firstly had two websites in his portfolio, the first one being a personal blog while the second one being an entertainment website which focused on one of his greatest passions, more specifically rock music. He previously volunteered for bigger causes than a fixed monthly salary before he even commenced higher education

I had a motivating talk with Jenika, who spoke about how students can benefits from different resources and advice when it comes to finding the right career path. She also talks about her journey on becoming from a clueless Physics Postgraduate to becoming a self-employed Digital Marketing Consultant.

Jenika Karsan, is a Physics postgraduate, former Analytics Consultant and B2B Marketing Manager and now a self-employed Digital Marketing Consultant. Jenika has a strong background in the financial sector, having worked for Barclays, Experian and a specialist risk analytics consultancy previously. She is passionate about helping students leverage their academic background and transferable skills in the industry, particularly those studying STEM subjects. Alongside her previous role, she successfully created and managed an internship programme which in turn created personal development opportunities for internal employees as well as the interns. Jenika is regularly invited to speak at universities events and was also invited to BBC Asian Network radio to discuss her career experiences and help bridge the gap between university and industry as well as offering realistic advice on how to navigate through the early stages of your career.

I had an encouraging conversation with Malin, where we discuss how the entertainment industry is not doing enough to promote and show diversity in TV Shows, Movies and amongst comedians too. We also discuss how the Black Lives Matter Movement has affected the way that media production sees diversity in their backgrounds and storylines.

Malin is a writer, radical empathy advocate, and the co-host of the podcast Making It: Women in Film. Through a lens of cultural and social impact, she works to promote diversity in gender, race, sexuality, and ethnicity, behind the camera in the entertainment industry - in order to enforce it in front of the camera.

I had an amazing conversation with Suzanne who speaks about how the over 50s age group has impacted her life in different means such as starting and managing a business, in the media and also with financial help.

Suzanne Noble is a serial entrepreneur currently working on a solution to help homeowners over 50 'age in place' and reduce social isolation by matching them with compatible long-term lodgers called Silver Sharers. On the side, she runs a social enterprise called Advantages of Age helping over the 50s to access a pro-ageing community of like-minded people and hosts events on behalf of the Soho House Group.

I had a good conversation with Atakan, who talked about the importance of public speaking to be placed in the national curriculum for children and young people and have the ability to speak in front of people, developing their speaking and communication. He also spoke about how he came to be a public speaker and debater.

Mahmut Atakan Orhan is a public speaking and debate coach, tutor and adjudicator. After attending numerous international and national debates academies and tournaments, he went through written and verbal examinations. Passing all of them, he started coaching an adjudicating debate teams and debate matches. He has been an octo-finals, quarter-finals and finals judge in different international debate tournaments. He has coached public speakers and debaters with different levels of experience in English Speaking Union Debate Academies.

I had an outspoken and inspiring talk with Genesis, who talked about race and social group discrimination within the workplace and her personal journey of becoming an administrative assistant to being the best selling author in a topic that she is passionate about.

Genesis is the best selling author by releasing a book called Chocolate Drop in Corporate America: From the Pit to the Palace, where she discusses challenges in the workplace can affect yourself.  She speaks up for not only minorities but also anyone who ha been slighted on in any way.

I had an impactful conversation with Akshita, who talked about how can impact can be done within the workplace and also in things in your everyday life. She also teaches me how she has applied the use of impact in her training and consultancy business, 3 Seconds.

Akshita Jaiswal is an Internationally Certified Image & Wardrobe Consultant. She helps individuals dress as per their roles to reach their goals effectively. Through the process of lifestyle evaluation and working on an individual’s body language, etiquette, grooming and dressing, she helps them project an impactful image to the world.

I had a great conversation with Daniel, who talks about how masculinity in today's society has affected male and male domination has changed perceptions today. He talks about how masculinity can be perceived as one stereotype that a male must be a tough individual, he aims to break down the barriers of what it takes to be a man in today's society.

Daniel is the Producer and Host of his podcast, That's Rich! This is a fortnightly podcast where they discuss historical gossips. He is also a Contributor and Performer at BBC New Comedy Show in Norfolk and Suffolk.

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I had such an eyeopening talk with Dureyea, who is a media producer and an actor. He talked about his views and perceptions on the Black Lives Matter Movement and specifically, talks about the discrimination and prejudice that black actors and actress faces today, as well as speaking about the media industry.

Dureyea Rashad is a multitalented media producer having started his studies in Theater Arts over 18 years ago. After obtaining his BFA in Directing and Acting he went on to do a brief stint in the US Army. He has performed most often at The Springer Opera House (Georgia's State Theater) where he was honoured to play the title role in the first-ever production of ACE: The Eugene Bullard Story, a story about the 1st Black fighter pilot. Currently, he owns a Digital Media Production company called Woe Nelly Media, LLC. Woe Nelly Media specializes in screenwriting, content creation, developing original works. You can also find him one of three podcasts he produces. "Talk It Out", "And Then This Happened...)" and "Geekin' Out".