Q: Tell us a bit about yourself.

Hello! My name is Mary and I’m currently in Grade 10. I am a Christian girl, who loves learning and exploring new things. I also love cooking, baking, reading, playing volleyball, connecting with my community, and travelling. I have a lot of aspirations, and I can’t wait to see what doors God is going to open for me in the future!

Q: Why do you want to participate in the Shad program/ What are you most looking forward to?

Shad is an extremely unique opportunity that I am lucky to have. I am excited to meet other people my age and learn about their dreams and hopes. Aside from this, I can’t wait to learn more about STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Mathematics), and dive into a whole new world. I am most looking forward to testing my limits through participation in this awesome program and making new friends. 

Q: What motivates or sparks your curiosity in STEAM and/or entrepreneurship?   

I am a naturally curious person and I have always loved learning. I would say my curiosity for science specifically began in Elementary school when my teacher would do experiments with the class. Additionally, STEAM is dynamic and always developing, which unsurprisingly makes me want to learn more about it. Attending Shad is a once in a lifetime occasion, and now I get to experience it! I’m glad that I have this opportunity, and I hope that one day I can use what I will learn from Shad to give back to my community. This is another factor that motivates my interest in STEAM.

Q: How do you envision your future?

I imagine my future will be a combination of various things. As I mentioned earlier, I want to give back to my community, so I imagine that will be a component of my future. I want to help put an end to racism against Black and other people of colour, while providing more life changing opportunities, like Shad, for them, and hopefully helping to guide them onto paths of success that align with their specific interests. I envision myself in the future using my knowledge and experience to help those in need, and to help solve important issues, such as food insecurity, water pollution, climate change, poverty, etc. Alongside this, I picture myself having a happy and faith-filled family, as I continue to explore my ambitions and interests. As I’m sure you can tell by now, I do not envision myself confined to one specific thing, but instead I envision myself using my resources to make the world a better place, in whatever aspect I can, and just living my life to the fullest.

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Want to meet the other Black students Scholars? Read their stories