Q:
Tell us a bit about yourself
My name is Tanish Shah, and I’m heading into Grade 12 in Vancouver, BC. I’m passionate about music—I lead a jazz band, play multiple instruments, and produce my own songs and tracks. I love collaborating with other musicians and am currently working on a project that brings together tracks from friends across Metro Vancouver and throughout Canada, many of whom are fellow Shads. I’m also deeply interested in building and understanding how things work, especially in the context of urbanization. I design structures inspired by everything from flowing curves to sharp angles, and I’m fascinated by how cities function, from regional transit systems to transit-oriented development and placemaking. I stay engaged with my local community by attending workshops and connecting with professionals in these fields. That’s why this year’s Shad design challenge on sustainable development really resonated with me. My team focused on tackling the stigma around public transit by rebranding and gamifying it. We created a business plan to fund comfort upgrades and future infrastructure, and created a concept for an app called HopOn. I’m excited to keep exploring the intersection of creativity, community, and innovation, as I carry the momentum SHAD gave to my life forward.
Q:
What motivates your interest in entrepreneurship?
I’ve always been drawn to understanding how things work. Growing up in Vancouver, I spent a lot of time at Science World, and I’d find myself dissecting flowers at the park or taking pens apart just to see how they were built. That curiosity naturally led me into developing video games, building robots, and using creativity to tinker with parts to solve real world problems, like earthquake-proofing buildings in seismically active zones like the city which I call home—and that’s how my love for STEM and programming really took off. I try to approach learning with a mindset of staying authentically curious, with my only goal being to take something away from every lesson that life presents me. That’s something Shad really reinforced in me, encouraging me to explore, question ‘the norm’, and to challenge assumptions in creative ways.
Q:
What was the biggest takeaway from your Shad experience?
My biggest takeaway from Shad came from a moment that felt simple but meant a lot. During the first week, I met a few people who loved to sing, just like me. On a whim, I brought us together and started leading a small choir. We created our own melodies and harmonies, and just vibed… it wasn’t planned, but it left a lasting impact on me and on my musical friends alike. That spontaneous moment turned into some of the most meaningful relationships I’ve ever had. It reminded me that pure passion can lead to deeper connections than anything forced. It also pushed me out of my comfort zone; I’d never directed a choir before, but I took inspiration from Jacob Collier’s approach to vocal layering and group dynamics, which made the experience even more exciting. Shad taught me that when you follow what genuinely excites you, amazing things can happen.
Q:
How do you plan to use #STEAM4Good?
In my final year before university, I want to use this precious time to inspire my peers through hands-on STEAM workshops and mentorship. Drawing on the momentum from my recent STEM projects of using active mechanical systems to mitigate earthquake damage in buildings and to clean up oil spills using swarm robotics, I plan to continue tackling wicked problems, which we touched on here at SHAD, with the skills that I have. Moreover, co-leading martial arts lessons and summer camps taught me how to engage learners, adapt to different skill levels, and create a supportive atmosphere. By blending my strengths of building and teaching—whether a orchestrating coding jam or designing urban placemaking prototypes—I aim to pass the torch forward, empowering others to harness #STEAM4Good in their own communities.
Q:
What lessons would you share with incoming Shads?
At Shad, growth lives outside your comfort zone, so lean into the unfamiliar and speak up, your voice matters. Talk to professionals (I met the “bat guy” and got career-shaping advice and wild field stories) and talk to everyone around you. You’ll leave wishing you’d gotten to know more people, so be open, curious, and generous. Collaboration beats competition, bold questions spark breakthroughs, and Shad will reveal strengths you didn’t know you had.
