I came to Congress excited. Not just excited to attend, but excited to contribute. Before arriving, I had prepared for two debates and imagined myself standing up, speaking, making my point, and being part of the conversation. In my head, I was ready.

Then reality happened.

The debates I had prepared for came round, I put myself in the speaker queue… and I was not selected to speak.

It was disappointing. A little painful too. You prepare, you build expectations, and then you sit back down.

But something I quickly realised at Congress was that opportunities do not always arrive in the order you expect. So instead of giving up, I kept trying.

Then came the debate on health misinformation.

I put my name forward again.

By the time I got selected, I was the last speaker and to make it even more interesting, two people before me had already used examples similar to the one I had planned to share. For a moment, I thought, “Should I still speak?”. But I summoned the courage and did it anyway. And I am glad I did.

That moment reminded me that your voice still matters even when someone has said something similar. Nobody tells your story exactly the way you do.

Beyond speaking, one of the best parts of Congress was the people. Meeting nurses from different backgrounds, hearing different perspectives, sharing experiences, and realising how much passion exists within our profession was inspiring. The debates were thoughtful, challenging, and energising.

For anyone thinking of attending Congress for the first time, my advice is simple: Go. Participate. Put your hand up. You may not get selected the first time, but keep trying. Because sometimes your moment comes later than expected and it is still worth it.

I’m already looking forward to the next one. See you there?