From Observer to Participant

Returning to familiar experiences after gaining new knowledge often reveals how much we have grown without even realizing it. What once felt overwhelming can become exciting, and moments that used to intimidate us can turn into opportunities to engage and contribute. That is exactly what I experienced at the Women in Business Conference at Harvard Business School for the second time, after becoming a student in Tufts University’s MS in Innovation & Management (MSIM) program. The energy in the room, the panels, the pitch competition, and the networking sessions were all familiar, but my perspective had changed significantly over the past year.

Last year, when I attended the conference for the first time, I wasn’t yet a student in the MS in Innovation & Management program at Tufts University. I went mostly out of curiosity and inspiration; I had always been interested in entrepreneurship and innovation, and the opportunity to listen to accomplished women sharing their journeys in business felt incredibly motivating. At the same time, I remember feeling that there was so much I still needed to learn. Many of the discussions around venture building, market validation, and scaling businesses were fascinating, but some of the specific vocabulary and frameworks felt completely unfamiliar to me.

One of my favorite moments from that first experience was watching the pitch competition. Seeing founders present their ideas and defend their strategies in front of a panel of judges was both exciting and intimidating. I admired the clarity with which they explained their businesses and the confidence they brought to the stage. At that time, I could appreciate the ambition and creativity behind those ventures, but I also felt like I was still observing from the outside.

That feeling of unease became even more clear during the networking portion of the conference. Last year, I remember quietly leaving before it even began. I had enjoyed the panels, but I didn’t feel that I had much to contribute to conversations with founders, investors, and other professionals in the room.

This year, my experience was completely different.

Now in my second semester of the MSIM program at Tufts, I returned to the Women in Business Conference with a much deeper understanding of the conversations happening around me. Many of the ideas that once felt abstract (concepts like user discovery, product-market fit, or early-stage validation) were much more familiar, as they are frameworks we actively work with in the program.

One of the things I appreciate most about MSIM is how hands-on the learning experience is. Rather than only studying innovation in theory, we work in teams to build and test ideas through a series of project sprints and presentations. Throughout the semester, we are constantly challenged to identify real problems, explore potential solutions, and communicate those ideas clearly. Learning from professors and industry professionals who have built companies, launched products, and led innovation teams adds another layer of practical insight that makes the experience incredibly rich.

Because of this, attending the conference this year felt less like listening to unfamiliar concepts and more like recognizing ideas that I had already begun to explore in my own work.

The networking session was one of the moments where the differences in my two experiences became most clear. Instead of feeling unsure about how to approach conversations, I was actually excited to participate. Over the past semester, my sprint team and I have been developing an early-stage startup concept called Cervica. The idea focuses on addressing pain related to women’s contraception, an issue that affects millions of women worldwide and represents a significant opportunity for innovation within the women’s health market.

Working on this concept throughout the semester has allowed me to experience firsthand the challenges of building a solution around a real problem: researching the market, understanding user needs, and exploring how a potential product could create meaningful value. Being able to share this experience during conversations at the conference made networking feel much more natural. Instead of simply asking questions, I was able to exchange ideas and discuss the process of developing something myself.

Another theme that stood out strongly throughout this year’s conference was the growing influence of artificial intelligence across industries. Whether the discussion was focused on wellness, healthcare, consumer technology, or fitness, AI repeatedly appeared as a central component of how companies are shaping their strategies and building new products. It was fascinating to see how founders and industry leaders are thinking about integrating AI not just as a technological feature, but as a fundamental part of how businesses innovate and scale. This also sparked new conversations within my team, prompting us to think more intentionally about how AI could be incorporated into our own concept, whether through improving user insights, personalizing solutions, or enhancing the overall experience we aim to deliver.

Beyond the panels and discussions, what made the conference especially meaningful was the opportunity to be surrounded by so many accomplished women sharing their experiences in building companies, leading teams, and navigating the challenges of entrepreneurship. Listening to these stories reinforced how powerful it is to have communities where women support and inspire one another in the business world.

The conference also reminded me how unique the Boston ecosystem is for students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship. Being a student at Tufts provides access to an incredibly rich network of events, universities, startups, and industry leaders across the city. Opportunities like the Women in Business Conference at Harvard Business School illustrate how accessible these spaces can be. Within a short distance, students can attend events hosted by world-class institutions, meet people working across industries, and gain exposure to ideas that shape the future of business – just like I did.

For me, attending the conference this year felt like a small but meaningful marker of personal growth. In just one year, my perspective shifted from observing conversations about entrepreneurship to actively participating in them. The experience reinforced how transformative the MSIM program has been so far, not only in expanding my understanding of innovation, but also in giving me the tools and confidence to contribute to these discussions.

As I left the conference this year, I felt the same inspiration I experienced the first time I attended, but with a stronger sense of belonging in the innovative community that Boston offers.

And perhaps the most exciting part is realizing that this journey is just beginning.