AUK Student Council Holds a Series of Inspirational Talks

The Student Council kicked off a talk series dedicated to hosting various influential people in Kuwait's society-from entrepreneurs and musicians, to actors and athletes-to inspire students to follow their dreams and pursue their passions.

The first speaker was professional photographer Abdulaziz Al-Duwaisan who recalled his journey that led him to pursue photography full-time. His interest began at a young age with art and drawing, which later prompted him to become an art teacher. Animation and science fiction characters caught Al-Duwaisan's attention, and he became interested in the creativity involved in putting together movie posters and using Photoshop to enhance various images. His work has become very popular on social media where some photos tackle social issues, and others have comedic aspects to them.

Musician Hamad Al-Qattan was the second speaker of the series; his journey began with playing football for the Kuwaiti Al-Kazma team, while also enjoying singing and music. Al-Qattan explained that his parents were conservative; therefore, it was difficult for him to pursue a career in music. After high school, he joined the military and also started to write music and lyrics for some well-known singers. Al-Qattan's passion for music soon completely took over, and he left the military to finally follow his dream. He had to overcome many obstacles that included negative critiques; however his perseverance rewarded him with successful projects with some of the biggest names in music, and high viewership on Youtube for songs he had written. Al-Qattan performed some of his songs to the audience and also answered their questions.

The two events which were held in the auditorium were open to the public, and attendees were welcome to ask questions and interact with the speakers. The talk series will continue throughout the months of October and November with many more inspirational guest speakers.