Bard College Berlin News
Vishal Parkash ‘27 Reflects on the Diversify Nordics Summit
We asked Parkash some questions about his experience with the Summit, his fellowship with the Salzburg Global Seminar, and his thoughts on the intersection of youth, technology, and global change.
Could you elaborate on your fellowship with the Salzburg Global Seminar and how it connects to your participation at the Diversify Summit?
"Salzburg Global Seminar is a nonprofit organization funded by the Walt Disney Company and the Lego Group. I got into this fellowship back in January. It was competitive, with 1000-2000 people applying and only 30 making the cut. This is the third cohort, called the Public Policy New Voices Fellowship. The theme for the year is “Inclusive Democracy,” so we are working on the question of how to make democracy inclusive, whether through technology, making people more aware of their rights, giving media freedom, or different aspects of public policy like working on democratic erosion, pluralism, or with minority groups.
In July, I attended the first in-person event of the Salzburg Global Seminar in Berlin, called the Creative Bureaucracy Festival. It aimed to see how we can make bureaucracy more creative, primarily to target the delays in bureaucracy so that they do not impact democratic processes.
The second one was the Diversify Nordics Summit in Oslo this September. It focused on themes like hope, innovation, determination, and inclusivity, by bringing together people from technology, economic policy, and public policy backgrounds and giving them a platform for free dialogue."
Reflecting on your experiences, what have been your most significant personal and professional takeaways from the summit?
"First, there's a lot to learn in this world, and we need to keep pushing ourselves. You must always know how to raise your voice and stand for yourself, despite people who might put you down. Number two was to keep smiling; the world is a better place if we do that.
I had a very interesting conversation about the green energy transition in Norway, since the country is trying its best to when it comes to combating climate change. The NGO leaders at the Summit welcomed my perspective from the Global South and Germany on how we could possibly establish some new synergies.
The event brought together so many participants from different parts of the world, different ages , different professions, and seasoned professionals and experts. So, I think one of the broad takeaways was that if we can come together, we can definitely do something for the world in trying to shape it in a much more positive and better way."
You were the youngest speaker at the Diversify Nordics Summit. How did you feel about sharing the stage with such influential figures?
"Being one of the youngest was definitely a crazy experience. I think I was one of the very few bachelor students, though maybe there were a few graduate students. But it was great to share the platform with influential people. We had all of these tech giants, all of these NGO leaders, as well as people working towards a career, and I was one of them. For me, being a part of this helped me understand how I can get better, learn from their experiences, and at the same time, be humble. It is important to know that life is about much more than just yourself."
What was the message you were hoping to convey?
"The message I was trying to convey was threefold. First, young people can change the world and are the biggest asset when it comes to topics like scaling hope, belonging, and determination because young people have the most spirit—we are the future. Second, don't be scared of technology; it has the potential to help humanity reach the next level. Of course, there are pros and cons to everything we do, but beating down on technology is not the way to go. The third message was about getting united and being together, because only then can we understand how to make democracy more inclusive and creative.
In terms of the topic I mostly talked about, I talked about AI and ethics, AI and economic policy, and AI in the investment and venture capital world. The overall message was clear: First, AI companies are becoming the most valuable investment in 2024, and this is something to embrace, not fear. AI is here to help you not to overtake you. Second, was to give opportunities to people, because you may never know how much people can teach you, especially those from whom you would never imagine learning."
Ultimately, the message Vishal conveyed, as well as the experience of participating at the Diversify Nordics Summit, embody some of the values that are important to Bard College Berlin, namely a commitment to lifelong learning and a readiness to pursue engaged scholarship. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the experience, Vishal!
Want to learn more about how Vishal got this opportunity? Read about his experience with the Salzburg Global Seminar in this news story from last year.
By: Mishel Jovanovska ‘25
"First, there's a lot to learn in this world, and we need to keep pushing ourselves. You must always know how to raise your voice and stand for yourself, despite people who might put you down. Number two was to keep smiling; the world is a better place if we do that.
I had a very interesting conversation about the green energy transition in Norway, since the country is trying its best to when it comes to combating climate change. The NGO leaders at the Summit welcomed my perspective from the Global South and Germany on how we could possibly establish some new synergies.
The event brought together so many participants from different parts of the world, different ages , different professions, and seasoned professionals and experts. So, I think one of the broad takeaways was that if we can come together, we can definitely do something for the world in trying to shape it in a much more positive and better way."
You were the youngest speaker at the Diversify Nordics Summit. How did you feel about sharing the stage with such influential figures?
"Being one of the youngest was definitely a crazy experience. I think I was one of the very few bachelor students, though maybe there were a few graduate students. But it was great to share the platform with influential people. We had all of these tech giants, all of these NGO leaders, as well as people working towards a career, and I was one of them. For me, being a part of this helped me understand how I can get better, learn from their experiences, and at the same time, be humble. It is important to know that life is about much more than just yourself."
What was the message you were hoping to convey?
"The message I was trying to convey was threefold. First, young people can change the world and are the biggest asset when it comes to topics like scaling hope, belonging, and determination because young people have the most spirit—we are the future. Second, don't be scared of technology; it has the potential to help humanity reach the next level. Of course, there are pros and cons to everything we do, but beating down on technology is not the way to go. The third message was about getting united and being together, because only then can we understand how to make democracy more inclusive and creative.
In terms of the topic I mostly talked about, I talked about AI and ethics, AI and economic policy, and AI in the investment and venture capital world. The overall message was clear: First, AI companies are becoming the most valuable investment in 2024, and this is something to embrace, not fear. AI is here to help you not to overtake you. Second, was to give opportunities to people, because you may never know how much people can teach you, especially those from whom you would never imagine learning."
Ultimately, the message Vishal conveyed, as well as the experience of participating at the Diversify Nordics Summit, embody some of the values that are important to Bard College Berlin, namely a commitment to lifelong learning and a readiness to pursue engaged scholarship. Thank you for sharing your thoughts about the experience, Vishal!
Want to learn more about how Vishal got this opportunity? Read about his experience with the Salzburg Global Seminar in this news story from last year.
By: Mishel Jovanovska ‘25
Post Date: 10-31-2024