School: More than just Homework (Daniela)

Personally, I love school. I know, I know, you must be thinking “This girl is crazy!" But the reality is, I love learning. And I’m not talking about differential equations, chemical reactions, or potential energy. I’m talking about the experiential learning that comes from joining clubs, teams and doing stuff outside of class. I participate in a broad range of extra-curricular activities, but one with my highest level of involvement is with the McMaster chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB). EWB is national organization that does work in Canada and some African countries, but I don't really want to go on about what EWB is. Rather, I want to tell you about the EWB conference I attended last week in Ottawa.

Students and professionals from across Canada, and delegates from Africa, gathered in the nation’s capital to discuss the organization's new vision, learn problem solving skills and how to have Systemic Innovation (which was the theme of the conference this year).

Delegates listen attentively to Dr. Samantha Nutt, founder of War Child (And McMaster Graduate!).

I had an absolutely amazing time at the conference! First of all, I got to reunite with people I went to Ghana with last summer, and most importantly, I had very critical discussions and came out learning about myself, the world at the moment, and forming my own new opinions.

So what can you take out of this? Well, conferences are an amazing opportunity to network with other students and people already in industry (can anyone say job opportunities?!), as well as learn about current issues and develop important soft skills!

The moral of the story is: school doesn’t just give you homework and tests. It provides the platform to have AMAZING experiences.

Later days,

Daniela