If you’re wondering whether Aurora is ‘worth the time’, I will answer in the way a good Aurora session would encourage, it depends on what you want to become ready for.

For me, Aurora wasn’t a generic leadership course. It became a turning point, not because it taught me a list of leadership theories, but because it helped me see myself differently. It gave me a structured space to pause, reflect, and practise leadership in a way that felt authentic: thinking clearly, speaking with intention, and acting with confidence. Just as importantly, it gave me peer support from a cohort of women who were equally brilliant, busy, and sometimes carrying more self-doubt than anyone would guess.

This is my honest experience of participating in Aurora: what drew me to it, what surprised me, and what changed afterwards.

Why I applied: the moment I realised I needed something different

Like many women in higher education, I was already delivering a lot: research, teaching, collaboration, service, mentoring, and the ‘invisible work’ that keeps everything going. I used to think leadership development was something you do later, once you are already in a leadership role. I didn’t see it as something I needed.

That changed after I attended a session where Aurora alumni shared their experiences, and I realised how many of their stories resonated with my own — and with the experiences many women face. I also started noticing patterns in myself that I had previously brushed off as personality or normal workplace behaviour. For example, I would do the work but hesitate to claim space. I often had an opinion but didn’t feel confident sharing it in important meetings. I could lead a piece of work but still feel uncertain about being seen as a leader. I would take on responsibility but feel nervous about making hard decisions.

None of these were about capability. I wasn’t lacking motivation. I was lacking tools, and, honestly, a new internal story about what leadership can look like.

What Aurora actually looks like: learning, reflecting, then doing

Aurora is thoughtfully designed. It isn’t just a one-off workshop where you feel inspired for a day and then return to the same habits. It usually includes a welcome session, four development days on key leadership themes, action learning sets (small-group reflective problem-solving sessions), and mentoring and networking opportunities (which vary by institution). There are also an in-person networking event and a celebration at the end.

For me, the value came from how these parts connect. You don’t just learn, you learn, you reflect, you test ideas in real situations, come back, and learn again. Over time, that repetition builds confidence in a way that feels grounded, not forced.

The biggest surprise: the Action Learning Set

I’ll be honest: before the Action Learning Set (ALS) started, I assumed it might be boring. Four strangers in a MSTeams room. What could that possibly achieve?

But it became the most powerful part of the whole programme. Aurora isn’t only about what you learn. It’s also about how you learn with others, and how that process helps you reflect on yourself.

In the ALS, you bring a real challenge (not a hypothetical case study). You speak honestly, without needing to “perform competence”. Others don’t rush to give advice; instead, they ask questions that help you see the issue differently. You leave with next steps you genuinely believe in.

It’s not therapy, and it’s not a complaint session. It’s structured, practical, and surprisingly deep. Two realisations stayed with me. First, many challenges women face in the workplace are very similar in nature, even if the stories look different on the surface. Second, when you hear different perspectives and are challenged by thoughtful questions, the solution often becomes clearer, sometimes obvious, in a way it never did when I was carrying the problem alone.

There was something quietly transformational about that: not just solving one problem but realising I didn’t have to solve everything by myself.

What changed for me afterwards: I began to think and act differently

Aurora helped me recognise a common trap: we often treat confidence as a prerequisite for leadership, rather than something built through leadership practice.

After Aurora, I found myself approaching daily work more from a leader’s perspective. For example, stepping back, looking at the wider system, and asking different questions. I started to map stakeholders (who matters, who decides, who blocks, who enables), think more strategically about timing, channel, and framing, and build coalitions rather than carrying everything alone. I also became more comfortable speaking up earlier and more clearly, without over-explaining.

The changes weren’t dramatic overnight. But they were real and they accumulated. Aurora didn’t change who I am, but it helped me become more of myself in professional spaces.

In summary: who Aurora is for

Aurora is often positioned as foundational leadership development and may prioritise those without significant prior leadership training. If you are early-to-mid career academic or professional services staff, already taking on responsibility but not always getting recognition, curious about leadership but unsure what counts, and ready to grow your confidence, influence, and strategic thinking, then you are exactly the kind of person who can benefit from Aurora.

If you’re hesitating because you think you’re not ready yet, I completely understand. But Aurora may be most useful before you feel ready, because it helps you step into the next stage with clarity and intention.

Li Ma, Senior Lecturer in Faculty of Science and Engeering 

Related