Saying Goodbye: My Last Words as GYA Co-Chair

In a unique turn of events, history repeated itself within the Global Young Academy (GYA) as, for the second time, one of its co-chairs was unable to attend the Annual General Meeting. The first instance was due to maternity leave, a reminder of the varied life experiences of our leaders. This time, it was me, dealing with some unexpected US visa issues. Despite the distance, I'm excited to share my last message as GYA Co-Chair, which I delivered online during the opening of the assembly.

Hey everyone in the auditorium! I'm speaking to you live from Italy, my home since 2016.

A warm welcome to our incoming members! In 2019, my 6-word story was, "Where's my place? I've found it!" And wow, I was right. The Global Young Academy (GYA) has been my home for the past five years, and I hope it becomes yours too. Just dedicating a bit of your time to our activities can be a game-changer, just like it was for me. Congrats on catching those seats; I hope the next five years are as fulfilling for you as they've been for me.

A huge shoutout to the entire GYA community! Your support and constructive ideas over the past year have been invaluable. You've helped strengthen our organisation, and your commitment to our activities has been outstanding.

To my co-chair, Priscilla, it was an honour to share this huge responsibility with you. And to my dear Executive Committee friends, Andreea, Clarissa, Devina, Fatma, Hussam, Markus, Monika (our Acting Co-Chair in my absence), Shalini, and Yensi—thank you all from the bottom of my heart for being an amazing leadership team. You rock, guys!

Kudos to the conference organising committees, especially our NASEM New Voices peers. From those initial ideas two years ago to seeing you all in that auditorium today, you've done an incredible job. Hats off to you!

To the GYA Office team, your dedication is vital. This conference wouldn't be possible without you. Massive thanks! And a special shoutout to Franziska, who's bravely battling a malady. We're all cheering for you to recover quickly and join us again soon.

I'll admit, I'm sad I can't be there in person. I miss you all so much! But I'm channelling this nostalgic feeling into celebrating our biggest achievements from the past year:

? Successfully overcoming numerous internal challenges.

? Crafting a Strategic Plan for 2024-2027 to guide our future.

? Establishing communication guidelines to improve how we interact.

? Reforming the member selection process to ensure we get the best and most socially committed young scientists.

? Strengthening our international influence to be the voice of young scientists on the global stage.

Moving forward, you will notice that this General Assembly is split into two parts: today and Friday. I urge you to get involved in discussions on how we can evolve and improve the GYA together. We'll tackle financing challenges and hear reports from the Executive Committee today, and on Friday, we'll dive into a potential constitutional reform to modernise our organisation. Your engagement is crucial, so please participate in this vital General Assembly.

We also need to discuss a pressing issue during this Assembly: the increasing geopolitical conflicts that affect us all. What role should we play in these international crises? Your ideas are invaluable. I want to take advantage and express my solidarity and empathy to GYA members caught in war and conflict zones and to those facing hate speech and harassment in universities. Let's strive for sanity in these turbulent times.

Lastly, please pass on my sincere greetings to our esteemed invited speakers for the public conference on Wednesday and Thursday, especially Prof. Marcia McNutt , whom I had the pleasure of meeting last month in Rome. And to Gregory Weiss (a past co-chair who won an Ig Nobel), Kimberly Montgomery , Pongpan Kaewtatip , and Frances A. Colón , who played a key role in my GYA journey. Send my regards to all of them.

Take advantage of having so many brilliant minds in one place! I hope this meeting sparks countless great ideas. And don't forget to flood our Mattermost and social media with pictures; use the dedicated hashtag to keep track. I want to see pictures of you in the Einstein Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial, both very close to you!

Enjoy every moment! Speaking of enjoyment, you've got a gala dinner tomorrow with a dance session. Dance like nobody's watching because this gathering is a celebration!

I wish you all the best this week and always, my dear friends. Thanks for your attention and goodbye!

Felix Moronta Barrios

GYA Co-Chair 2023-2024