After 2 days of landing in toronto after a very much needed visit home, I started my internship at Visions of Science. I was so excited to start working at a charity that had such an impactful mission: providing science to radicalized youth in Toronto. 

My first day was a Friday. I went to the office in Reagent Park for the first time, and almost got lost. I finally found it when my supervisor, who I was meeting for the first time in person, opened the door. The office was colourful. The staff welcomed me and we just talked for a bit. Everyone was very funny and open to me right off the bat. I felt like I was already part of the team.

That day was mainly focused on training. Initially, I was with the rest of the staff, but since I was there for only 6 weeks, I received a personalized training. I was taught everything I needed to know about the communities I was going to work with during my time there. It was quick but very digestible. Later, my supervisor gave me a tour around the area and showed me how modernization in Reagent Park had brought many resources to the community. He also showed me the downside of this process, though. He told me about gentrification in Reagent Park: families had to be displaced from their community, and forced to move to different areas, such as the ones that I was going to visit during my time there. 

On Saturday, I participated in my first big event. I was a representative for Visions at the Science Rendezvous by the Toronto Metropolitan University. I was a bubble maker. At first, the job seemed a bit silly to me, but later I understood why I was assigned to do it. It was an amazing way to get me to interact with children in Toronto. It was a training on patience and resilience. It was a fun event, and we made such a mess of the TMU campus! The floors were covered in our soap solution — thank god it rained later!  

Later in the week I was assigned to take over the Wheel of STEM! It is basically a game like the wheel of fortune, except participants are asked science questions. I was in charge of decorating the wheel, getting the questions ready, and getting my host persona on! During my first roadshow at Danzig, Scarborough, the Wheel had its debut. Many children came to play  and were curious about the questions asked. After the event, I received many congratulations from the team as it was technically my debut too. We recorded our contestants plays in order for the Communications team to put a video together for our social media. We were going to implement it as a new outreach strategy.

My first week was a lot of fun. I got to interact with kids, use my communication skills for our video, and just learn. I learned a lot about the disparities there are in Toronto, which greatly affect children and their education. I am happy to part of visions and contribute to empowering youth across the Greater Toronto Area first hand. I can’t wait to learn more and experience more.